SUPERSTAR!

2011-08-21T08:58:00.000-04:00

SA NGALAN NI NORA

The Superstar is back with Sa Ngalan Ng Ina, a new mini-serye for TV-5 to be directed by no less than Mario O'Hara. The powerhouse cast includes Christopher de Leon, Bembol Roco, Rosanna Roces, Eugene Domingo, Ian de Leon, Nadine Samonte, Alwyn Uytingco, Jay Aquitania, Karel Marquez, Edgar Allan Guzman, Joross Gamboa among many others. It's something us Noranians will definitely be watching out for.

2011-06-16T07:19:00.001-04:00

Designed By Cesar Hernando

Cover of the booklet I wrote for Direk Elwood Perez with a teaser of his bio for the book I'll be writing. It also includes a review of his 1985 film I Can't Stop Loving You taken from my blog Sari-Saring Sineng Pinoy with rare photos and the director's complete filmography with synopsis of each film.

2010-05-21T20:55:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday, ATE GUY!

2010-03-24T17:40:00.001-04:00

SUPERSTAR NORA AUNOR GREEN GLOBE MOVIE AWARDS BEST ACTRESS OF THE DECADE

Here's a transcript of the Superstar's acceptance speech...

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

"Having been nominated with some of the finest performers in the Asian region is already a big honor for me.

"In the past years, I was not as active in the movies as I had been in the previous decades. This recognition must also be your appreciation of my lifework in the field of cinema.

"It is with great enthusiasm that I’m receiving this award in the hope that this could bring further world attention to Philippine cinema.

"Moreover, I am happy that this award could bring a lot of joy to the movie lovers all over the world who voted for me, especially to my fans who believe in my talent and love me unconditionally. I couldn’t thank them enough for standing by me through all these years.

"To the organizers of the Green Planet Movie Awards, more power to your worthy cause.

"Maraming salamat po. Pilipinas, mabuhay po kayo!"

2009-12-27T07:25:00.002-05:00

TOGETHER AGAIN

2009-12-19T17:21:00.004-05:00

'MERIKA... Behind The Scenes

From an e-mail sent by writer Gil Quito

Doy and I agreed on the detailed sequence treatment and basically divided the sequences in half. Doy, the veteran writer, took care of the beginning and ending section, and I an equivalent (in terms of number of sequences) swath of the middle section.

We were surprised that we did not need to revise the script after we finished the first draft. Often, when there are two or three writers working on a script, the styles and personal touches are somehow different and so there has to be a few more drafts to hide the joints, as it were. But in this case, the sections that Doy and I had written immediately melded right at first draft.

Somehow, I had the singing voice of Nora Aunor in my mind throughout the writing and I just allowed it to guide me and help me through the intense pressure we were working in. My hope was to come up with scenes that would have a bit of melody and some consonance with the voice that was Nora's..

Anyway, what you see on the screen is actually the first draft. We did not have a second draft... not even a 1 & 1/2th draft. As far as I remember, we added only one scene after we handed the script to Gil Portes, This is the scene where Nora goes to the top deck of the Empire State Building, gazes at the glittering city spread out like an offering below her, cries without a single other soul aware of some epic collision going on inside of her, and is lifted out of her reverie by the watchman with the swinging lamp who reminds her that, Miss, it is closing time. Frankly, as I try to recall this scene, I'm no longer so sure if this is how it came across in the actual film; at this moment, I remember how it was as I wrote it more than the actual film it came to be.

Gil Portes of course was the guilding hand of the whole enterpise, and one of his best decisions was to cast the amateur actor Cesar Aliparo for the role of Lolo Caloy. He never acted before or after that film, but he still became one of the more memorable embodiments of the Filipino experience abroad.

At that time, way before the Invasion of the I-pods, the Walkman was still a novelty and we thought Doy's idea of Nora giving Lolo Caloy this modern device was a bit of a novelty in itself.

As for the opening wordless sequence, I can tell you that Gil Portes shot it exactly the way Doy wrote it. Doy did an expert job setting the tone of all that was to follow which made the impossible enterprise much less impossible for me.

2009-12-13T00:59:00.004-05:00

SUPERSTAR SUPER FILMS

The long wait is finally over. Two of the Superstar's award winning and critically acclaimed films will now be available on DVD for the first time. Mario O'Hara's 1976 classic Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos and Lino Brocka's 1980 slum drama Bona will be released later this month by Videoflick, the video releasing arm of Ivory Music. In both films, La Aunor was named Best Actress by the Manunuri Ng Pelikulang Pilipino. Once more, Filipino film enthusiasts will get the chance to see the Superstar in two of her best screen portrayals. Don't forget to grab your copies at a nearby video store.

2009-11-19T04:13:00.002-05:00

Johnny D. Great Actor

Ate Guy is saddened by the news of actor Johnny Delgado's passing. I sent her a text message early this morning, after all they co-starred in more than a handful of films together namely Super Gee (1973), Banaue (1975), Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo (1980), Mga Uod At Rosas (1982) and Bad Bananas Sa Puting Tabing (1983). Johnny also appeared in Mrs. Teresa Abad... Ako Po Si Bing (1976) and Tisoy! (1977), both produced by the Superstar's own NV Productions. The country just lost one of its greatest actors. Rest in peace Johnny D., you'll surely be missed.

2009-11-03T16:23:00.003-05:00

Through The Years

Please watch the Superstar in a concert entitled Through The Years with special guests Christopher de Leon, Tirso Cruz III and Edgar Mortiz. Live at the Four Points Sheraton San Diego on Friday, November 6th at 7:30pm. The Oceanview Pavillon in Oxnard on November 7th, Saturday at at 7pm and at the Heritage Forum in Anaheim on Sunday, Novemver 8th at 7:30pm. Tickets are $66 and $88. For inquiries please call (909) 718-9948 or visit www. tentheentertainmentnetwork.com.

2009-10-31T07:32:00.003-04:00

Lotlot & Friend

Last night, I met the Ate Guy's eldest daughter Charlotte Jennifer de Leon and she's as charming and down to earth as her Superstar mother. We took her to see the revival of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's West Side Story at the Palace Theater. It was Lotlot's first time to see a Broadway show and we couldn't have picked the perfect one for her to watch. She enjoyed it immensely and loved Karen Olivo who played Anita, the role Rita Moreno essayed on the big screen version. We all had a great time last night. I'm hoping to see her again very soon. Lotlot is a great daughter, caring sister to her siblings and loving mother to her children, and now I know why.

2009-10-26T17:03:00.004-04:00

Where Artistic Minds Meet

I haven't posted any new updates on this blog but that doesn't mean I haven't been in touch with the Superstar. When In My Life opened in theaters, I got depressed. Why? Because Vilma Santos has been getting the best reviews of her career and the movie was making a killing at the box office. What about Nora Aunor? I honestly believe she deserves to be in a film worthy of her tremendous acting talent. One night, I received a call from Ate Guy and said that she just got off the phone with Lav Diaz who once more offered his project Reclusion Perpetua to her. I told Ate Guy that was the best news I heard in weeks. Suddenly, my depression was gone. I was ecstatic about the idea of Nora Aunor starring in a film by Lav Diaz. I've always admired his work. From Kriminal Ng Barrio Concepcion to Melancholia. I thought it would be a great idea for these two artists to work together in one movie. After reading the screenplay I suddenly felt that this would be the perfect comeback film for the Superstar. I was constantly on the phone with Ate Guy explaining the importance of making this film. What Direk Lav wanted was for her to commit to the project, which she did in principle after their meeting in LA. We were hoping that the project would awaken the artist in her and after Direk Lav told her the story of Reclusion Perpetua, Ate Guy was convinced. Everyone involved in this project believes that this film would bring back the respect she rightfully deserves. Now is the perfect time to show our love and support for our One and Only Superstar.

2009-09-10T13:01:00.000-04:00

BILANGIN ANG BITUIN SA LANGIT... The Quintessential Tagalog Movie

This is the quintessential Tagalog movie and a loving tribute to the "Golden Age of Philippine Cinema." Director Elwood Perez paints a melodramatic and panoramic portrait of the rise and fall of a poor, hard-working, and determined barrio lass and her lifetime stormy relationship with a childhood sweetheart. Legendary Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III are magnificent in dual roles, in a love-hate affair that spans generations, from their high school days in the province, to their twilight years in the big city. The supporting cast led by Perla Bautista, Gloria Romero, and Miguel Rodriguez is also good. The cinematography and visual effects, complemented by a thoughtful production and costume design, are outstanding. Perez's direction and Jake Cocadiz's script accentuate the passing eras' whims and fancies, and the dramatic confrontation scenes between the two stars dote on the so-called "masa" or "bakya" crowd. But the picture has enough sweep, drama, humor, and local color to make it an epic worthy of every moviegoer's attention and praise.

The cast is fine, especially Perla Bautista as the heroine's quiet, sympathetic, and indestructible mother. The two "contravidas," however, are straight out of Disney---or every oppressed Filipino peasant's image of the mestizo ruling class. The two actresses who play these villains nevertheless show contrasting abilities. Gloria Romero as a high-strung, high-faluting "doña" is effectively spiteful. She is one actress who takes risks, like a professional soldier who follows do-or-die orders. In this picture, as in her previous assignments, she seem to have reveled in excesses---truly the ideal soap villainess. Ana Margarita Gonzales as the heroine's sister-in-law, for her part, is also a "matapobre," but beside the redoubtable former movie queen, Ana lags far, far behind in the acting department. The kid, obviously still an amateur, sticks out like a sore thumb from the largely competent cast.

Tirso Cruz III, never known for Great Moments in Acting, does have his moments here. The very idea that he is not overshadowed by his blinding co-star speaks well of his talent as well as of his rapport with his perennial screen partner. But "Bilangin" is clearly a Nora Aunor vehicle. The actress is in almost every frame of the movie, showcasing her awesome talent and exhibiting gradations of emotions---sad and pathetic, one moment, flippant and impetuous the next; loving and pleading now, then seething and raging like a woman scorned. Not only does she essay the complex transformation of a woman in a time period spanning her mid-teens to middle age. She also plays dual roles---those of Magnolia, a strong and determined woman, and her youthful, exuberant daughter. This was the same theme which the recent trashy "bold" picture, "Virginia P.," aspired to dramatize, but failed, because, in that other movie, not only slapdash effort was visible; the filmmakers could not contain their contempt for the audience. In an accident in which her husband (Miguel Rodriguez) falls from a horse carrying a baby, the man dies but the tot miraculously survives. The number 2001 may not mean anything, but I won't be surprised if the director, a true-blue movie buff from his younger days is merely paying homage to a classic film, "2001: A Space Odyssey," though the styles and concepts of the two movies are galaxies apart. Maybe the director sees his job here as some kind of odyssey that stretches the boundaries of his brand of filmmaking, something he has succeeded in doing.

Film Review By Mario A. Hernando as published in Malaya, 1989

2009-09-08T12:47:00.002-04:00

BELOVED... A Complex Range of Romatic Human Relations

Beloved (VIVA Films, 1985) tackles a complex range of human relations premised on romance, but problematizes it quite rigorously so that love, though central in the lives of the characters, is continually reread and therefore rewritten. Ensuing from the the competing affections between Adora Bernal (Nora Aunor) and Renee Regala (Hilda Koronel) over Dindo Tuason (Christopher de Leon) and his conflict with Ver Alonzo (Dindo Fernando) is a struggle that does not at all resort to conventional melodramatic tactics. The film is filled with emotional rigor through which the affairs of the heart are dealt with, and dealt with intelligently. How Adora and Renee choose to make their lives more difficult by staking their right to love Dindo inspite of the circumscriptions of traditional heterosexist norms engenders a creative tension that enables women to appropriate the power to break the culture of silence and express sexuality in specific terms within specific situations. Adora has to inevitably give up the fight, but only after she has achieved a realization that strikes at the core of practical realities. Beloved cleverly choreographs the elements of cinema and local melodrama with restraint and without the komiks winded tediousness normally associated with the exercise.

Nora Aunor's highly textured performance suffuses the melodramatic heroine with the spirit in which it could have been strategically envisioned. Aunor's constant displacements climaxes in a cleverly orchestrated maneuver that careens from deception to sacrifice and on to the struggle of prefiguring an ending which may not necessarily be happy, and a happiness which need not be the inexorable ending. Hilda Koronel on the other hand, shows that the strength of women need not come from the repudiation of feminine traits and roles as constructed by patriarchal systems. The acting method employed here is able to twist the logic of cliche and reconstitutes the drama of yearning with passion and grace. Koronel's portrayal is one that can hold a candle to Aunor's substantial work in this film. Dindo Fernando expresses desire in all its discrepant aspects breathes a different rigor into the tradition of acting for the screen. Finally, Christopher de Leon's intelligent handling of his character resonates with the perspicacity and method of the film's dramatic goals. Beloved's achievement rests on its skillful appropriation of the conventions of a commercial feature in its earnest effort to come up with a truly artistic, purposive and serious motion picture.

2009-07-15T21:26:00.003-04:00

Superstar Nora Aunor Invites Everyone To Watch

SI ATE GUY AT SI CHUCHAY

2009-05-21T05:07:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Superstar!

2009-02-05T16:27:00.004-05:00

HABANG PANAHON

The SUPERSTAR's Latest CD

Superstar Nora Aunor's latest CD entitled Habang Panahon is now available! All songs are original compositions written by the husband and wife songwriting team of Odette Quesada and Bodjie Dasig. It's been a long while since we last heard the Superstar's golden voice in a studio recorded album. It's quite refreshing listening to all original songs and this time around it's La Aunor back in top form doing what she loves the most, singing. Habang Panahon has ten tracks of mostly tagalog songs with a couple of english ones as well. Here's the album's track listing...

Sa Iyo Pa Rin

Pangako

Starlight

Ganyan Nga Ba

Kailan

Friends

Kung

Habang Panahon

Ligaya

Pasko

Get your copy now!

2009-02-03T19:27:00.000-05:00

SUPERSTAR!

2008-12-31T17:29:00.000-05:00

CNN Interviews NORA AUNOR With Ricky Lee & Charo Santos-Concio

2008-12-20T16:07:00.001-05:00

SA LIKOD NG HIMALA
Open Forum With Ricky Lee & Bibsy Carballo

2008-12-05T04:12:00.002-05:00

UP Film Institute Screens Sa Likod ng Himala

The UP Film Institute (UPFI), in cooperation with the International Circle of Online Noranians (ICON), will hold free screenings of Sa Likod ng Himala, a movie-in-the-making documentary on Ishmael Bernal’s masterpiece Himala (ECP, 1982), fittingly at the UPFI Bernal Gallery on December 16, 2008 (Tuesday), starting at 7 pm. In Super 8mm format, this 20-minute documentary was made by the in-house staff of the former UP Film Center (now expanded into the UP Film Institute). It features rare footage, among others, of Bernal in action during the filming of the movie’s momentous stampede scene. The UPFI has preserved the original 26-year-old reel of the film in its archives in almost pristine state—a miracle of sorts. This one-night-only event is meant to honor the film Himala, starring Superstar Nora Aunor and penned by Ricky Lee, for winning the CNN APSA Viewers’ Choice Award for Best Asia-Pacific Film of All Time, presented recently at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Screen Awards held in Queensland, Australia. This special tribute, a special year-ender for the UPFI, has been planned even before Himala got the CNN APSA award. "The fact that this Bernal film has been shortlisted with the works of world cinema masters like Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray, Wong Kar-wai, and Ang Lee," said UPFI Programming Director Nonoy Lauzon, "is a great feat by itself." Described by critic Alfred Yuson as "definitely world class," Himala holds the distinction of opening the 2nd Manila International Film Festival in 1983. It was handpicked by Berlin festival director Moritz de Hadeln, no less, to be part of the competition film selection of Berlin International Film Festival in the same year, the first and only Filipino film so far that competed for the Golden Bear. It then went on to be screened in key Russian cities—Moscow, Kiev, and Alma-ata—before it went to the Chicago International Film Festival where it won the Bronze Hugo Award for Best Feature Film. Himala has remained as one of National Artist Ishmael Bernal’s most exhibited films in both local and international film events. From the ’80s to the current decade, it has been shown in world’s key cities such as Taipei, Bangkok, Tokyo, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Vienna, and New York. In 2007, Himala was included in the programs of Berlin Hot Shots Film Festival and Paris Film Festival. The Bernal Gallery on the same day will showcase a mini Himala exhibit, organized by the International Circle of Online Noranians. The group will also conduct a short program honoring the film and some of the people behind it. In between screenings of the documentary, ICON will also hold activities such as film discussion and forum with distinguished guests.

2008-11-11T17:27:00.003-05:00

ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Winners in the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the region’s highest accolade in film in 2008, were announced tonight at a special ceremony on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. More than 700 film industry luminaries from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the United States attended the ceremony.

Thirty two (32) films representing 17 countries were finalists in the Awards, with winners coming from Kazakhstan, Israel, Republic of Korea, Australia, Turkey, Islamic Republic of Iran, People’s Republic of China and India received Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

The Awards were determined by an International Jury headed by Academy Award nominated Australian Director Bruce Beresford.

The Best Feature Film award was won by TULPAN (Kazakhstan/Russian Federation/ Switzerland/Poland/Germany). The Award was accepted by Producer, Karl Baumgartner. Karl Baumgartner shares the Award with fellow Producers Valerie Fischer, Gulnara Sarsenova, Sergey Selyanov, Henryk Romanowski, Sergey Melkumov, Bulat Galimgereyev, Elena Yatsura, Thanassis Karathanos and Raimond Goebel.

Best Animated Feature Film was won by VALS IM BASHIR (WALTZ WITH BASHIR, Israel/France/Germany). Producer Yael Nahlieliaccepted the Award. Yael Nahlielishares the Award with fellowproducers Ari Folman, Serge Lalou, Gerhard Meixner and Roman Paul.

Best Documentary Feature Film wasGGEUTNAJI ANHMEUN JEON JAENG (63 YEARS ON, Republic of Korea). The Award was accepted by Producer/Director Kim Dong-won, who shares the Award with Producer Lee SeungGu.

Best Children’s Feature Film was THE BLACK BALLOON (Australia). The Award was accepted by Producer Tristram Miall and Director/Writer/Co-Producer Elissa Down. They share the Award with Co-Producers Sally Ayre-Smith, Jimmy The Exploder and Mark Turnbull.

Achievement in Directing was awarded to Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan for UC MAYMUN (THREE MONKEYS, Turkey/France/Italy).

The Best Screenplay Award was presented to Suha Arraf for ETZ HALIMON (LEMON TREE, Israel/France/Germany). She shares the Award with Writer Eran Riklis, who also directed the film.

The Achievement in Cinematography was awarded to Korean Lee Mogae for JOHEUNNOM NABBEUNNOM ISANGHANNOM (THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD, Republic of Korea).

Israeli actress Hiam Abbass received the Best Performance by an Actress Award for her performance in ETZ HALIMON (LEMON TREE, Israel/France/Germany).

Iranian actor Reza Naji was on the Gold Coast to accept his award for Best Performance by an Actor for his performance in Majid Majidi’s AVAZE GONJESHK-HA (THE SONG OF SPARROWS, Islamic Republic of Iran).

Four additional major Awards were announced for outstanding achievement.

Yash Chopra, founder of Yashraj Films and a legend of the Indian film industry, has been awarded the FIAPF Award for outstanding achievement in film in the Asia-Pacific region. The Award is determined by FIAPF - International Federation of Film Producers Associations, and was announced by Andrés Vincente Gomez, President of FIAPF, who travelled from Madrid to be at the ceremony.

The UNESCO Award for outstanding contribution to the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity through film was decided by the International Jury and awarded to the Iranian documentary feature film TINAR (Islamic Republic of Iran), produced and directed by Mahdi Moniri. The Jury noted that the film was a rich evocation of rural life in the mountainous regions of Iran.

The Jury Grand Prize is presented at the discretion of the Jury. In 2008, the International Jury has decided to present two Jury Grand Prizes – to HONGSE KANGBAIYIN (THE RED AWN, People’s Republic of China); Directed by Cai Shangjun; and to THE PRISONER (India), Produced and Directed by Pryas Gupta and starring Best Actor nominee Rajat Kapoor.

Bruce Beresford, President of the 2008 APSA International Jury, said that: "I was very impressed by the quality and originality of the films – all of them – and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being around so many extraordinarily talented filmmakers."

Asia Pacific Screen Awards Chairman Des Power thanked Bruce Beresford and his Jury colleagues, renowned Indian Director and Actress Aparna Sen, US Producer Richard Luke Rothschild (whose production credits include Tender Mercies and The Truman Show),Chinese Director and Professor of the Beijing Film Academy Zheng Dongtian, and Hanna Lee, Producer of the 2007 APSA Best Feature Film, the internationally-acclaimed Miryang (Secret Sunshine), from the Republic of Korea.

Chairman of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards said: "The Asia-Pacific region is the emerging giant of cinema. The quality and depth of story-telling amazed not only our jury this year but is certain to attract more audience at the global level. There is a growing fascination and respect for films from this diverse region. It is a tribute to the filmmakers that they now have a globally recognised award and the broadcast reach of CNN International to promote their work."

The CNN APSA Viewers Choice Award for Best Asia-Pacific Film of all Time, voted for by thousands of film fans around the world, at www.cnn.com/thescreeningroom, went to HIMALA, Ishmael Bernal's 1982 work from The Philippines.

2008-10-26T06:01:00.000-04:00

Isn't She Lovely?

2008-10-25T19:47:00.003-04:00

CNN'S THE SCREENING ROOM PICKS THE BEST ASIAN FILMS OF ALL TIME

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Asia: Spread over one third of the world's surface, it is home to something like four billion people in 70 countries. It also produces half of the world's film.

Bollywood, India's film industry, alone produces around 1,000 films each year -- almost two times as many as Hollywood.

This vast continent doesn't just come out on top when it comes to output, it has also sired many influential directors, actors and film-genres.

Ang Lee's 2000 homage to Chinese fantasy martial arts genre, Wuxia, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and Japan's unique take on horror, typified by films like Takashi Shimizu's "Ju-on: The Grudge" are just two examples of Asia's recent contribution to world film culture.

We have included films by Japan's Akira Kurosawa, China's Wong Kar-Wai and India's Mehboob Khan in our provisional list of the best of Asian cinema but we want to hear from Web site users. What are your favorites? Have we missed one? Perhaps you don't agree with our choices.

'In the Mood for Love' ('Fa yeung nin wa') Hong Kong/China(Wong Kar-Wai, 2000) Wong was heavily influenced by Hitchcock's psychological thriller "Vertigo" during the making of this poetic, exquisitely shot meditation on love and loss starring Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000.

'Mother India' ('Bharat Mata') India(Mehboob Khan, 1957)One of the sub-continent's first ever blockbusters, it is also known as India's "Gone with the Wind." Acting legend Nargis plays a woman who must raise her children single-handedly after her husband is maimed in an accident, and becomes the catalyst for her fellow villagers to fight for their land. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 1957 Academy Awards -- India's first ever Oscar nomination.

'The Host' ('Gwoemul') South Korea(Bong Joon-ho, 2006)Arguably one of the greatest monster films ever made; a staggering 20 percent of the population of South Korea have watched this film. It is based on the true story of a U.S. military employee ordered to dump formaldehyde into the sewer system that leads to Seoul's Han River. Six years later a giant mutant squid starts attacking people (this part is made up).

'Syndromes and a Century' ('Sang sattawat') Thailand (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2006) One of seven films commissioned by the New Crowned Hope Festival, part of Vienna's Mozart Year in 2006. Set in two hospitals, Weerasthakul reflects on the lives and memories of his medic parents using an experimental, anti-narrative style (a series of images, soft spoken dialogue and music) which was chosen by the hugely influential French film magazine Les Cahiers du Cinema as one of the 10 best pictures of 2007.

'Whale Rider' New Zealand(Niki Caro, 2002)At just 12 years-old star, Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her extraordinary performance as "Pai," a first-born female in the patriarchal Whangara tribe who believes she is destined to be the new Chief.

'Still Life' ('Sanxia haoren') China(Zhang Ke Jia, 2006) Awarded a Golden Lion at Venice in 2006, this wide-sweeping film is based on the human tragedy of the Three Gorges Dam (more than one million people have been displaced) which stretches across the Yangtze River. The story focuses on a miner who travels back to his home town looking for his wife only to find that his former home is now submerged. The film illustrates the gulf between China's new world order and the soon-to-be-forgotten culture of the past.

'Shower' ('Xizao') China(Yang Zhang, 1999) The richly humorous and touching story of Shenzhen businessman, Da Ming who returns home to Beijing where his father runs the local bathhouse, only to be caught between two cultures -- the decaying district of his childhood and the booming South where he now lives with a wife who has never met his family. When he realizes his father's health is failing, he must take stock.

'Shall we dansu?' Japan(Masayuki Suo, 1998)Successful but unhappy accountant, Shohei Sugiyama spots a beautiful woman in a dance studio window. Despite his wife and child, he secretly signs up for dance lessons hoping to get closer to her. Slowly he begins to fall in love with the art form itself. A 2004 Hollywood remake starred Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere.

'The Ballad of Narayama' ('Narayama bushiko') Japan(Keisuke Kinoshita,1958) In a remote 19th century village, food is so scarce that when the elderly reach 70 years old they must climb frozen Mount Narayama to die so their families won't have to feed them. Kinoshita's film is profane and shocking at times. Throughout the film, images of couples having sex are interspersed with scenes of animals and insects mating. The film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1984.

'Infernal Affairs' ('Mou gaan dou') Hong Kong/China(Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, Alan Mak Siu-Fai, 2002) Hong Kong cop thriller following the parallel lives of an undercover officer who infiltrates a Triad gang and policeman who secretly reports to a ruthless gang boss. "Infernal Affairs" breaks the mould of much of contemporary Hong Kong cinema by steering clear of over-the-top-action in favor of a slow-burning build up of psychological tension. Engrossing.

'Mandala' South Korea(Kwon-Taek Im, 1981) In the film that is considered to be his breakthrough as a cinematic artist, Im follows the lives and interactions of two Buddhist monks in Korea and takes a contemplative look at the nature of individualism, religious belief and enlightenment.

'To Live' ('Huozhe') China(Zhang Yimou, 1994) Much lauded but banned in Mainland China because of its satirical portrayal of the Communist government, this epic, sumptuous film traces the personal fortunes of Fugui and Jiazhen as they fall from wealthy landownership to peasantry over 30 turbulent years.

'When the Tenth Month Comes' ('Bao gio cho den thang muoi') Vietnam(Dang Nhat Minh, 1984)A vivid portrayal from the point of view of a young Vietnamese widow of the legacy of the Vietnam war. It was released internationally under the name "The Love Doesn't Come Back."

'Himala' Philippines(Ishmael Bernal, 1982)Young Elsa thinks she has seen the Virgin Mary and goes on a healing crusade -- just the miracle the nowhere town she lives in is looking for. The film's austere camera work, haunting score and accomplished performances sensitively portray the harsh social and cultural conditions that people in the third world endure.

'A Touch of Zen' ('Xia nu') Hong Kong/Taiwan(King Hu, 1969) In this spiritual kung fu movie, a young artist finds himself caught up in the struggle to help a beautiful young woman escape the Imperial agents who murdered her family. A classic of the martial arts fantasy genre, it was the first Chinese film to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival. It was also a massive influence on Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon."

'Ikiru' Japan(Akira Kurosawa, 1952) In this profoundly moralistic fable, longtime salaryman Kanji Watanabe, learns he has terminal cancer and, ultimately, through the experiences he has, the meaning of life. Takashi Shimura who played Watanabe was nominated in the Best Foreign Actor category at the 1960 BAFTA Awards.

'Utu' New Zealand(Geoff Murphy, 1983) Loosely based on the events of Te Kooti's War in the 1870s, it tells the tale of Maori tribesman Te Wheke who is serving in the British army. He is prompted to seek vengeance when he returns home to find his village and family destroyed in a senseless raid by the British.

'Gabbeh' Iran(Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1996) An elderly nomad couple are cleaning their beautiful carpet or "gabbeh" when a young woman suddenly emerges to tell the history of her clan through the carpet. Beautifully filmed and the winner of numerous awards.

2008-09-06T14:13:00.003-04:00

SUPERSTAR Triumphant

The year was 1978. Tension filled the CCP during the Metro Manila Film Festival Awards Night where the country's Top Superstars were vying for the Best Performer Award. Nora Aunor was nominated for her work in Eddie Garcia's Atsay while rival Vilma Santos has been predicted to win that night for her portrayal of rape victim Rubia Servios directed by multi-awarded filmmaker Lino Brocka. The Superstar reigned triumphant by winning the much coveted acting award in the history of the MMFF. Unforgettable was her acceptance speech where she uttered the words Mamay, mali ang hula nila! Everyone watched in awe as the Superstar proved once again that she can rise above the media circus that surrounded the most controversial awards night in the history of Philippine Cinema. Atsay was named Best Picture with Eddie Garcia bagging the Best Director Award. Jack & Jill Of The Third Kind, her team-up with Comedy King Dolphy was the highest grossing film of the festival.

2008-08-31T10:35:00.006-04:00

WALANG HIMALA (Elsa's Word Remix)

An interesting music video created by DJ Dense Modesto featuring film clips from the Ishmael Bernal classic starring the Superstar.

Walang Himala

2008-08-06T18:08:00.003-04:00

Playing House

Is Dalaga si Misis Binata si Mister a complete failure? Not at all. I don’t think masters such as Brocka are ever capable of making anything that is a complete ham, but maybe this is a reflection of the leeway given to Brocka as per his role as the most influential filmmaker in the Philippines, and it may be proven wrong by simply pointing out that I have not seen all, not even most, of Brocka’s pictures. However, even if the technical reality of a certain film project makes it impossible for a movie to be a success, the qualities that define an auteur could nevertheless be taken into account and be used to interpret the movie beyond its technical failures.

In this movie however, it is the other way around: the technical gloss masks Brocka’s perpetual preoccupation with class and social transgression to deliver an entertaining vehicle for Nora Aunor and Christopher De Leon and nothing more. And the movie is entertaining: as a comedy, both actors play the traditional (stereotypical?) battle of the sexes scenario to a hilt, and do not fail to give a sense of dignity in their roles despite the need to make it funny in a conventional and inoffensive manner. In addition, the lengthy opening sequence and the number of scenes here and there within the movie displays Aunor’s singing, a diversion the inclusion of which to the narrative will be discussed later on.

But as portrait of domestic dysfunction, this is a second-rate attempt by Brocka to do something in which Bernal specializes. Not just marital discord, but rather in dramatizing social, political, and emotional distress as revealed through the breakdown of the family, the base of the Filipino’s (mythical) sense of self. In Bernal’s films however, the use of marriage as social metaphor is taken further by never really focusing on the destruction of the heterosexual relationship (unlike Brocka, queer reality was never a concern for Bernal, who I guess found enough solidarity in the equally marginalized image of the woman and also found that focusing on the relationship between a man and a woman to be more bankable), but rather on the ravages this destruction wreaks on the woman, both bearer and protector of patriarchal values and the primary victim of it. Bernal’s female image is Vilma Santos, whose (despite being known for her histrionics) use of a brand of subtle acting (one of small flutters of mannerisms that would fit well in a John Cassavetes flick) made the damage less ideological and more personal, and thus more devastating.

Aunor on the other hand isn’t meant for such a role. Whereas Santos specializes in personifying internalized and normalized social mores and the damages done thereof, Aunor’s image isn’t as "everyday woman." Her very being is one of defiance: short, dark, and very strong eyes, Aunor cannot do "damaged woman" because of the passivity it implies in part of the woman. Although Santos’ characters, although suffering the havoc of patriarchy, never becomes a mere victim, Aunor’s image already assumes liberation, one whose defiance is not a product of oppression but of the character’s innate rebellion (ironically, since she is always portrayed as being more "traditional"). Even in a movie such as Brocka’s Nakaw na Pag-Ibig ("Stolen Love," 1980), where Aunor played the role of a poor woman whose lover’s class envy caused him to leave her for a richer woman, Aunor’s oppressed wife never seems so "oppressed." Even if her lover left her, her small efforts to win him back still betrays a sense of dignity, of a woman who wasn’t going to take anything lying down in the first place. (Which also made her character’s demise a little predictable, but not in a bad way.)

In the case of Dalaga si Misis Binata si Mister, this image of liberation translated into irresponsibility. The notion of "play" that is associated with love, sex, and youth that Bernal complicated in Dalawang Pugad Isang Ibon ("A bird and two nests," 1977) in here is literally just play: when Aunor tells de Leon that they need to separate so they can be singles again without having to think of each other, it literally sounded as just that. There is no sense of a complicated relationship one has to marriage (freedom vs. companionship; the freedom in companionship and the oppression of loneliness). When Aunor gives de Leon the limitations on his "visits," there’s no sense of a woman in control. Rather, it sounds like a couple of kids just messing around. Mind you, "a couple of kids messing around" itself could mean a million of things, as we’ve seen in Peter Pan (PJ Hogan, 2003). But in this case, Brocka never decides to treat play as anything more than messing around (as opposed to "messing around").

De Leon’s character could have been one of those pathetic yet pitiable male characters who, despite their execrable behavior (Dado in Insiang), were forgivable for their destructive imperfection. Or, even if we’re not willing to go that far (Dado we should remember was a rapist who fucked the mother to get to the daughter, de Leon a mere boy who couldn't keep his pants on), he could have been like Jay Ilagan’s character in Maging Akin Ka Lamang (1987), pitifully bound to his lust for a woman (in De Leon’s case, women). But played for pure comedy, De Leon was a buffoon. The sleeping around, the regretting it, the sleeping around some more…it was a little tiring.

The one narrative strand that I thought Brocka could have exploited well was the one that opened the movie: Nora Aunor as character-actress. Mid-way through the movie, we see De Leon spying on Nora through a telescope from across the street. Later we find that De Leon’s new girlfriend who was a model at his advertising agency. The movie ends with Aunor returning the gaze, looking at a sleeping De Leon. There’s all these layers of competing gazes—of alternating looking and being looked-at—that could have been the basis for the film’s battle of the sexes, and something that could have given this film a credible link to Brocka’s other works, with his preoccupation with having/lacking power and oppressing/being oppressed by others. As it is, this movie’s only link to Brocka’s ouvre is the clunky way it incorporated the "battle" part without looking at how it complicated the "of the sexes" part.

I know I know: "Filipinos are simpler, our stories simpler, our attack simpler." But as the best filmmakers have demonstrated, "simplicity" is relative. As Brocka already demonstrated in Hello, Young Lovers, there’s a lot of ways to subvert the conventional story one is forced to tell. But I guess for a master filmmaker like him, it’s excusable. Maybe he was just tired…he did have three years prior where he churned out multiple masterpieces every year, three just in 1980 (Bona, Angela Markado, Nakaw na Pag-Ibig). Maybe he was just tired. In that case a little trip like this movie is forgivable.

2008-06-29T16:05:00.002-04:00

UNDERRATED

I found this clip of the Superstar from the 1983 underrated Maryo J. delos Reyes drama Minsan, May Isang Ina. Here she plays Ruth a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage who lives with her domineering mother played by the late Charito Solis. In this scene, she comes home upon discovering her ex-boyfriend's happy and almost perfect family life. Ruth finally unleashes her anguish in this breakdown scene. This is definitely one of my most favorite Nora Aunor performances.

2008-06-15T15:21:00.003-04:00

Superfan

I may have never met Mandy Diaz, Jr. in person but it feels like I've known this ultimate Noranian my entire life. Maybe it's our love for the Superstar that binds and connects us. I've heard lots of stories about Mandy from other Noranian friends who had the pleasure of knowing the Superfan. I remember an interview he had on Rated K after news of the Superstar's arrest at the LAX came out. Mandy said he'd rather be put in jail than see Nora Aunor behind bars. To a fellow Noranian, we'll surely miss you, Mandy! You'll always be in our hearts and prayers.

2008-05-21T06:18:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUPERSTAR!!!

2008-03-22T07:17:00.003-04:00

Pinakapaboritong Nora Aunor Movies (Part 1)

I was surprised with the glaring omission of the Superstar's performance as Beatrice Alcala in Laurice Guillen's Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo (LEA Productions, 1980). She turned in one of her most restrained performances in this Metro Manila Film Festival entry.

2008-03-19T05:02:00.001-04:00

THE SUPERSTAR'S MANY FACES

2007-08-08T07:04:00.001-04:00

The Real Nora Aunor
By Bibsy Carballo As Published In Star Studio Magazine July, 2007 Issue

There is no Filipino, young or old, who has not heard of Nora Aunor. Nora, or more fondly Ate Guy, broke the prevailing idol stereotyoe of the mestiza beauties with family pedigrees. The 4’l0" dark-skinned Nora was someone the masses could identify with. To this day, none have been able to match the mass hysteria and adulation she invoked.

Entertainment figure Boy Abunda confesses in his column. There is not one actor in history that would make me faint except for Nora Aunor. I tremble. I get tongue-tied. I cower. Such is the power of the Superstar. Director Lupita Aquino Kashiwahara, who was Nora’s ninang in her marriage to Christopher de Leon, elaborates, If Guy were to sit immobile in a chair, as in a scene, she would exude the kind of emotions dictated by the moment and demanded by the director. When she sings, she moves into a different realm and transports us to another dimension. Charisma? It’s much more than that. It’s like the song of a sirena that beckons to untold promises.

Fast forward to 2007. The Superstar is 54 years old and has been living in the USA for almost five years. She has done some singing stints here and there, shot a digital movie, until she got embroiled in a drug case that brought her again to the forefront of media attention. Currently serving a sentence of community work, she faces yet another more controversial issue with even wider repercussions.

T-Bird At Ako

Enterprising reporter Jojo Gabinete chanced upon an entry in the Marriage Inquiry System of Clark County, Las Vegas, where a Nora Villamayor (Nora’s real name) and a Richard James Merck were married July 7, 1998, and subsequently a Nora Villamayor and a Norie Sayo on May 22, 2000, which he quickly wrote about in his tabloid column. It was the latter, a same-sex marriage, that caught attention.

Many of us in the entertainment sector have met Norie through her decades- long association with Guy as her musical director and confidante. If there was any special relationship between them, we didn’t know and didn’t really care. It was their own business, after all. None was not the first female to be linked with the Superstar through the years. The only difference was that unlike all her other relationships, real or imagined, this time a legal document was involved giving credence to the rumor.

Still, apart from those in the world outside of the entertainment sector who were incredulous and shocked, most of those in movies, television, and music were hardly jarred by the news.

An avowed Noranian who dubbed Guy as the One And Only Superstar entertainment columnist Ronald. Constantino simply shrugs his shoulders saying, So what else in new?" Another columnist Billy Balbastro who has known Guy from her earliest days simply says "She is unpredictable. She can do anything like marry someone of the same sex.

The irrepressible Lolit Solis, manager of Christopher de Leon, who until these discoveries was the only husband on record of Guy, laughs It’s no big deal. Let’s put it this way. If Ate Vi (Vilma Santos) got married to a girl, it would be shocking but with Nora it is nothing extraordinary.

German Moreno, who has been hounded by reporters and the broadcast media since the news came out states simply, Ewan kung totoo, pero alam mo naman, this was in Vegas where it’s so easy to get married and divorced in one day. Posibleng katuwaan lang yan, if ever.

Lupita who is one of Guy’s favorite directors (Superstar on TV and the acclaimed Minsa’y Isang Gamu-Gamo) agrees conclusively, I was not surprised by her romantic entanglement with Norie Sayo. But I have my doubts that they went through the serious ceremony of marriage. More likely at some katuwaan they went through some kind of a ritual. The last time I had a chat with Norie, over a year ago, she and Guy were having a business tiff. Norie was definitely in pain with the separation and I can only surmise that there was more to it. She cared for Guy a lot.

Beyond the same sex marriage

Part of this was her habitual tardiness or simply absence from her shows, shootings, or tapings. June Rufino, executive secretary (manager, confidante, lawyer) to Guy for four years from 1974-78 during possibly the most tumultuous years of her life remembers one instance when she made Mother Lily Monteverde of Regal wait for hours at her Valencia residence. The lady producer was so incensed she swore that one day the house would be hers. This, of course, came to pass.

Kitchie says that in the 22 years of Superstar where Kuya Germs was a host, Siguro for 10 years Kuya Germs did it alone. She would call and say, masakit ang ulo ko,or sometimes she would come but not sing, or sometimes wouldn’t even talk. But you learn to live with it.

But why, we wonder would anyone live with this type of behavior? A distinguished psychiatrist who had some professional dealings with a member of Guy’s immediate family explains, "The persona she projects in public is very different from that in private. There is a multiplicity of personalities. That is a character disorder. Some people like that commit suicide. In Guy’s case, it is not physical suicide, but injurious behavior to herself and to her audience. Despite all the seemingly respectful po and kawawa image she shows, she is actually bastos in her behavior. Isn’t it bastos to make people wait on the set of your movie or TV show for hours upon hours and then not appear? There is a total disregard for rules."

Ronald, however, who met the Superstar very early in her career ascertains that even then, she already had this habit of saying po to everyone. It wasn’t put-on but part of her personality.

It is therefore these multiple personalities of Guy that those close to her are given a glimpse of, and which they try to understand and forgive. Kitchie tells us, There would be times when I would hate her, but then you always go back and try to understand her. She doesn’t have two faces, she has four, five, even more. She is the perfect Gemini, adds Baby K. Jimenez, veteran entertainment writer.

Fortunately for Guy, she has been blessed with numerous talents that add to her charisma, which makes it very easy for people she has hurt to forgive her. Tirso Cruz III explains the lack of discipline which started when they were practically just entering their teens. You have to remember that we were so young then. The presence of so much pressure on her, flooded with adulation resulted in negative reactions from her. It was an act of rebellion. It’s like the tantrum of a child against so many things she was being made to do, I went through that phase myself. You feel that everyone wants a piece of you and nothing is left for you.

This rebellion has also manifested itself in all her actions, in the purported drug abuse, in the innate lying, in the habitual buying and selling of the 40 houses she lived in, in her short term relationships.

Our psychiatrist continues, "She has a personality disorder that may be traceable to her childhood, or may be a result of instant fame (some people who can’t deal with fame go into drugs or commit suicide). There is this passive-aggressive personality trait, that is manipulative at the same time. And most often, people with these personality disorders are not aware of their illness. Other people are at fault, never themselves."

La Aunor’s unpredictability

Despite the belief of many that we were part of that clique in the ‘70s and ‘80s that kept close guard over the Superstar, our only real encounter with Nora Aunor was on the set of the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines’ (ECP) opus, Himala. We were offered to line produce this film by Charo Santos, then with the ECP which produced it. It was our very first experience in line-producing and with a schedule that would take three months in the desert of Paoay, Ilocos Norte with thousands of people in the cast, a temperamental director like Ishmael Bernal, and an even more temperamental star like Nora Aunor, we were petrified to say the least.

This was already 1982. Guy was 29, had been through her most turbulent years that included legal cases with Sampaguita where she was a contract star; had already undergone a number of early teenage romances with Tirso Cruz III, Manny de Leon, and Christopher de Leon whom she had married and separated from and other romantic dalliances that are said to include President Joseph Estrada, Richard Merck, Mario O’ Hara, Bembol Roco, and John Rendez.

We were ready for the worst

Again, Guy surprised all of us by being her unpredictable self. Not only was she excellent in her performance, she was also on her best behavior. She was on the set when needed, at the time she was needed, and never once misbehaved in all those three months. The only instance shooting was affected was when she drove a vehicle, got into a minor accident, and had to be airlifted to Manila for check-up, after which she returned immediately to the set. Himala went on to become her greatest picture and many of her movies like Bilangin Ang Bituin Sa Langit, Bona, Condemned, and Bulaklak Sa City Jail have consistently been ranked as the best of Philippine cinema.

If Nora Aunor, therefore, is accepted as the country’s most important actress, shouldn’t it give her license to behave as any diva with a list of unreasonable demands? Of course, the answer is no. But in the entertainment world, a Nora Aunor with all her eccentricities is not only accepted, but admired for doing what she wants to do and to hell with all of you.

She does, however, have her many positive traits. There are people who swear by her and this includes Ronald Constantino who claims that there was not a single instance when she disappointed me in any way.

It is not true either that she does not know the meaning of love. June remembers Guy’s wedding to Boyet, which was consecrated while they were submerged in the waters of Bauang, La Union, in April 1975. She was witness to the love between Boyet and Guy.

She was with Guy during the years she was married to Boyet and remembers that final breakup. We had just come home and were standing in the middle of the hallway. Boyet comes out of the bedroom with his suitcases, sees her and says, Putang ina mo! To which she answers, Putang inamo rin! When he had gone, she takes me to the game room below and we listen to the song Love is Blind for ten hours from evening till the next day na paulit-ulit, while she was crying all the time and drinking.

She had that ability to attract love and affection from all. Man, woman, friend. Not a few came under her spell. Says Baby K. I believe both Pipo and Boyet really fell in love with bulilit (her nickname for Guy) deeply. Guy has this knack, masyadong malambing and maasikaso. She could be generous and would go to any lengths to please a partner. Extra thoughtful, selosa, very skilled in her ways to endear herself.

What to do therefore with a problem like Aunor? She with the conflicting personalities, with that seemingly endless search for real love and affection, with that continuous death wish exhibited in aberrant behavior.

Kashiwahara sums up the feelings of many who have known and loved the Superstar. I loved her talent. She is a national treasure. I disliked her lack of discipline, her un-professionalism, her weaknesses, her lifestyle, and most of all, the feeling of sayang. The tragedy of a Nora Aunor like most cosmic stars is the waste and the squander of fortune, fame, and idolization of the masses. She could have been a force for good, a continuing dream of the impoverished masa, a source of joy with her undiminished talent. And still, the tragedy need not continue. For as long as the heart beats, there is time for triumph. Guy can still make one more comeback.

2007-07-21T09:37:00.000-04:00

VINTAGE NORA

Here's a video clip from Tower Productions' The Golden Voice (1970). In this scene, the soon to be Superstar was performing a rendition of Cry, Cry, No More while being haunted by Manny de Leon. This is one of those rare movies wherein musical numbers were interspersed with suspense. Director Artemio Marquez shot the movie in 10 days. I'm quite surprised that there's still an existing copy of this film. It's quite rare...

2007-04-19T22:10:00.000-04:00

SUPER FAMILY

This photo just makes me so happy. The Superstar with two of her children, Ian and Kiko. It's been three years since they saw each other. It must have been an emotional reunion for them but judging from the picture they seem to be having fun and enjoying each other's company. Ian flew back to Manila last Sunday since he has prior commitments and is taping a fanta-serye for GMA entitled Super Twins, while Kiko is staying with his Superstar Mom.

The SUPERSTAR Sings

2007-03-31T08:45:00.001-04:00

Here's a clip of Superstar Nora Aunor singing the George Canseco classic Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo from the movie of the same title. Director Laurice Guillen's sophomore film which was LEA Productions' in the 1980 Metro Manila Film Festival.

2007-02-25T08:11:00.000-05:00

SUPERSTAR... The Concert

For the first time on the East Coast, Superstar Nora Aunor together with erstwhile scrren partner Tirso Cruz III and for the first time with real life children Ian and Kiko de Leon. This is truly a how to watch. Tickets are available in most Filipino retailers in New York nad New Jersey. See you all there!

WHEN SUPER MET MEGA

2007-02-15T06:58:00.001-05:00

Here's a clip of Mega Star Sharon Cuneta's guesting on Superstar. Special Thanks to Ken Gonzales for the uploading the video.

2007-02-14T15:16:00.000-05:00

THE NORA AUNOR EFFECT

The essay below is anthologized in the book Si Nora Aunor Sa Mga Noranian (Mga Paggunita At Pagtatapat) Pages 70-73

Impluwensiya Sa Aking Kabataan
Ni Jojo Devera

Lagi akong tinutukso ng mga kaklase ko sa elementary dahil pumapasok
akong bitbit ang bag na My Blue Hawaii at si Nora ang nasa cover ng
aking notebooks. Mga sampung taong gulang, madalas akong magpantasya
na isa akong direktor at gumagawa ng pelikulang si Nora ang bida.
Ako rin ang gumaganap na Nora sa mga pelikula ko. Isang araw naisip
kong gawin ang eksena kung saan kinakanta ni Nora ang "Song of My
Life." Suot ang wig ng malaking walking doll ng aking bunsong
kapatid na babae, nag-lip synch ako sa harap ng salamin. Nakita ako
ng nanay ko pero sa halip na magalit, naaliw pa siya. Palibhasa
Noranian din, kaya pinabayaan lang ako.

Taong 1978, kainitan ng labanan ng dalawang pelikula ng
pinakamalaking artistang babae ng pelikulang Pilipino: Atsay ni Nora
Aunor at Rubia Servios ni Vilma Santos. Natatandaan kong ipinalabas
ang dalawang pelikula sa Coronet Theater sa Cubao: Rubia sa Theater
1 at Atsay sa Theater 2. Isa ako sa nakipagsiksikang mapanood ang
Atsay. Walang tigil sa pasaringan ang mga tagahanga ng magkabilang
kampo habang nakatutok ang atensiyon ko sa life-size cutout poster
ni Nora sa Atsay na nakalagay sa lobby ng sinehan ('yung may bitbit
siyang tampipi). Pagkatapos naming manood, namasyal muna kaming
magkaibigan sa COD Department Store bago nagdesisyong panoorin na
rin ang Jack en Jill of the Third Kind na lahok din ni Nora sa
filmfest. Halos hatinggabi na nang matapos kami sa panonood.
Napadaan kaming muli sa Coronet Theater at nakitang nagsasara ang
guwardiya ng sinehan. Napansin naming naiwan sa labas ang life-size
poster ni Nora. Nagkasundo kaming nakawin ang poster. Nakita kami ng
nagtitinda ng balut pero di kami pinansin. Itinago ko sa aking
kuwarto ang naturang poster. Nang gabi ng parangal, nang ideklarang
Best Performer si Nora, nakaharap ako sa poster niya habang
sinasabing, "Mama... mali ang hula nila!"

Di ko malilimutan noong 1979 nang ipalabas ang Ina Ka ng Anak Mo.
Nagpumilit akong pumasok ng sinehan para panoorin ang unang
pagsasama nina Lolita Rodriguez at Nora Aunor sa direksiyon ni Lino
Brocka, pero hindi ako pinayagan dahil for adults only. Madalas kong
napapanood sa TV ang eksenang "Hayop... hayop!" Lagi itong
pinapagaya sa mga contestants sa Take One Acting Contest ng Eat
Bulaga. Isa kina Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, at Richie D'Horsie ang
gumaganap na Lolita; ang mga contestants naman ang gumagaya kay
Nora. Ito lamang ang tanging paraan para makita ko ang talino ng
Superstar sa pagganap. Kahit na madalas nabababoy ito ng mga
contestants, dito ko lang ito napapanood. Hanggang sa ipalabas ang
pelikula sa isang second-run theater sa Pasig. Doon ko ito unang
napanood nang buo, ka-double pa ang Modelong Tanso nina Charito
Solis at Vilma Santos. Hindi na naalis sa aking isip ang
eksenang 'yon. Nasabi ko sa sarili: "Putang ina! Ang galing talaga
ni Nora."

Sa pagpasok sa high school, lalong umigting ang aking paghanga kay
Nora. Madalas akong hindi pumapasok sa eskuwela para manood ng
kanyang mga pelikula. Marami kasing sinehan na malapit sa
eskuwelahan ko sa Pasig. Doon ko pinanood ang Nakaw na Pag-ibig at
Kastilyong Buhangin. Ilang beses kong pinanood sa Cubao ang Totoo ba
ang Tsismis? Isang araw, tumanggap ng sulat ang aking mga magulang
mula sa aming guidance counselor: isang linggo na akong hindi
pumapasok sa eskuwela. Pinagsabihan ako ng nanay ko. Pero ang tatay
ko ang talagang nagpupuyos sa galit. Ginulpi niya ako dahil sa
pagkagusto ko kay Nora at dahil sa aking kabaklaan. Mahirap talaga
siguro para sa isang ama na tanggapin na ganoon ang panganay na anak
na lalaki. Sa sobrang sama ng loob lumayas ako. Walang kaalam-alam
ang aking mga magulang; buong akala nila kaya ako may dala-dalang
maliit na maleta ay dahil nakalagay doon ang costume na gagamitin ko
sa stage play namin sa eskuwelahan. Noong araw na iyon, inihatid ako
ng nanay ko sa eskuwela at alam kong nakita niyang pumasok ako sa
gate ng school, pero ang hindi niya alam umakyat ako sa pader para
makalabas sa kabilang bahagi ng gusali. Tulad ng nakagawian ko nang
gawin, muli akong nagpunta sa Cubao, baon ang tatlumpung piso, at
nanood ng Ibalik ang Swerti na palabas noon sa Diamond Theater.
Habang lunod sa kaligayahan dahil pinapanood ang idolo, may biglang
sumigaw ng "Nandiyan si Nora! Nandiyan si Nora!" Nagmistulang may
sunog sa sinehan. Dali-daling naglabasan ang mga tao para kahit
saglit ay masilayan si Nora. Sa lobby, natanaw kong kumakaway si
Nora. Sigawan kami ng "I Love You, Nora!" At parang alon, tinangay
siya ng mga taong nagdagsaan. Kinabukasan, lumipad si Nora patungong
Cannes, France, para dumalo sa 1981 Cannes Film Festival kung saan
tampok ang Bona sa Director's Fortnight.

Pagkatapos ng kaguluhan, bitbit ang maleta, pabalik na ako sa
sinehan para ituloy ang panonood nang may narinig akong
nagtatanong: "Saan ka pupunta?" Paglingon ko, may isang taong
mistulang anghel sa paningin ko. Siya si Orly, tagahanga rin ni
Nora. Ikinuwento ko sa kanya ang paglalayas ko. Inalok niya akong
tumuloy sa kanilang bahay sa Barrio Mandaragat, Tondo. Alam ko ang
lugar na 'yon dahil doon kinunan ang Bona. Tulad ng ipinakita sa
pelikula, pinalilibutan ng maitim na estero ang kanilang lugar.
Makikitid ang daan at iilan ang poste ng ilaw. Malubak ang mga
kalye, maputik. Pagpasok sa barong-barong ni Orly, una kong napansin
ang posters at magazine covers ni Nora na nakapaskil sa mga dingding
at kisame. Kumpleto rin siya ng Superstar komiks. Iisa lang ang
bombilya sa bahay at masakit sa mata pero binasa ko pa rin ang mga
komiks kahit nabasa ko na ang iba. Binigyan ako ni Orly ng banig,
kumot, at unan na hindi bulak ang laman kundi buhangin. Hindi ako
nakatulog nang maayos dahil napakaraming lamok sa kanila.
Pinagpiyestahan ako ng mga ito. Kinaumagahan, dinala niya ako sa
isang karinderya at doon kami kumain. Umaalingasaw ang estero sa
likod ng kainan. Pinilit kong kumain kahit halos masuka ako sa amoy.
Pagkatapos, isinama niya ako sa kanyang trabaho; nagtitinda siya ng
mga diyaryo at magasin sa sidewalk sa EDSA. Nakabilad sa init,
tumulong ako sa pag-ayos ng mga paninda. Inilagay namin sa harap ang
mga magazines na si Nora ang nasa cover para agad mabili. Doon ko
nabasa 'yung article ni Roger Ebert tungkol sa Bona na lumabas sa
Jingle Extra Hot. Halos isang linggo rin akong tumigil kina Orly
bago nagdesisyong umuwi na sa mga magulang. Nauunawaan naman ni
Orly. Hinatid niya ako pabalik sa Cubao. Naglalakad-lakad ako sa
Araneta Center nang businahan ng kotse. Naroon ang aking mga
magulang na hindi pala humihinto sa kahahanap sa akin. Niyakap nila
ako nang mahigpit at sinabihang huwag nang uulitin ang ginawa ko
dahil mamamatay sila sa nerbiyos. Humingi ng tawad ang aking ama.
Wala na sa isip ko ang nangyari. Ang mahalaga magkakasama na kaming muli.

2007-02-02T09:11:00.000-05:00

THE ONE AND ONLY SUPERSTAR

No doubt, Nora Aunor is still the Philippines One And Anly Superstar. To this day, her phenomena is still unmatched. Movie stars have come and gone, but Nora Aunor's legacy will forever be etched in the memory of every Filipino. The films she has given the moviegoing public is this artist's gift to Philippine Cinema. Elsa, Bona, Milagros Cruz, Rosario, Esther Postigo, Corazon de la Cruz, Nelia de Leon, Babette, Annie Batungbakal, Beatrice Alcala and Angela Aguilar are only some of the most memorable screen portrayals La Aunor has essayed on the silver screen. Guy and Pip, local cinema's most popular love team was immortalized in Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr.'s Pepot Artista. While Emmanuel de la Cruz' feature film debut Sarong Banggi, her name was mentioned as being the lead female character's favorite actress. There was also a scene from Mario Cornejo's Big Time where the Superstar and her children were discussed during a lengthy conversation between the two male leads. With a career almost spanning four decades, Nora Aunor has touched and continues to inspire the lives of the Filipino masses.

2007-01-28T14:48:00.000-05:00

DRAMA QUEEN

Superstar Nora Aunor made TV Drama a household name in the mid 70's when she starred in the weekly drama anthology Ang Makulay Na Daigdig Ni Nora which served as a training ground in honing her acting prowess. In the 80's, the Superstar enthralled us once again with with La Aunor. In the early 90's, she top billed yet another weekly drama anthology, STAR Drama Presents NORA. For an entire season, the Superstar played various roles opposite some of the seasoned performers in Philippine television. In what's probably the show's best episodes Dagok, written by Gina Marissa Tagasa, La Aunor reunites with estranged husband Christopher de Leon where they play Purita and Ernesto, a mentally challenged couple who are both being haunted by a dark past. They meet in a local carinderia and soon after finds solace in each other. The Superstar's brilliance is showcased in a couple of highly dramatic scenes while de Leon matches her fiery performance with much intensity and intelligence. Nora and Christopher may not have the onscreen chemistry he has with erstwhile rival Vilma Santos but what these two have is magic. Their artistic bond is unparalleled. I remember Ate Guy saying Takot si Papa Boyet sa akin... then I asked why and she responded coyly with Akala kasi lagi kong lalamunin sa eksena, to which I said Kasi ho, masyado kayong magaling kaya minsan nago-overacting siya. She then said Oo nga!

2007-01-14T12:28:00.000-05:00

A SUPER DISAPPOINTMENT

The recent VCD release of Superstar Nora Aunor's acclaimed entry to the 1978 Metro Manila Film Festival Atsay was a huge disappointment. The original theatrical release runs at 2 hours and 31 minutes while the VCD was just a little over two hours. I was surprised to find out that Solar Entertainment edited the film therefore affecting it's narrative. Some very important key scenes are nowhere to be found. It was exciting news for Noranians everywhere when this Eddie Garcia directed film classic is finally released on video. The transfer is less than impressive as well. It doesn't give justice to Romeo Vitug's excellent cinematography. The colors are mostly faded and washed out. This proves the poor state of film preservation in the Philippines. I'm just thankful that I have the complete version of Atsay on VHS so I can savor the Superstar's superlative performance in this film where she was honored with the Best Performer Award.

2007-01-08T18:40:00.000-05:00

A SUPER CONVERSATION WITH GIL JOSE QUITO

Last Saturday, I went to the surprise birthday party for one of my closest friends Vincent Nebrida at actress Dindi Gallardo's apartment in Manhattan. At the aforementioned occassion, I had the pleasure of talking with Gil Jose Quito, one of the writers of my most favorite film 'Merika. I asked him how he and co-writer Clodualdo Doy del Mundo, Jr. came up with the screenplay for the movie. He told me that Gil Portes wanted to make a movie to be shot in the United States which will star Nora Aunor. In a couple of weeks time the two writers came up with a sequence treatment which the director approved right away. The trouble was that Ate Guy had to fly here earlier than scheduled. She has prior commitments in Manila at the time. A week before the Superstar arrives, Gil and Doy locked themselves in a motel room in New Jersey for ten days so they could finish the screenplay. Gil said that it was easy for him to write the character of Milagros Cruz because he had Ate Guy in mind, that he could actually hear her singing in his head. Immediately after, they gave the first draft of the script for 'Merika which Gil Portes loved so much. I asked if he visited the set often, only a couple of times he said. Since his co-writer went back home to the Philippines, Gil was the one who added the last scene where Milagros Cruz was on top of the Empire State Building. I told him it's one of my two most favorite scenes in the entire film. The other one is where Mila was reading her friend Cora's letter afterwhich, Ate Guy slowly tilts her head up as tears slowly well from eyes. Gil mentioned that Ate Guy practically directed herself in the movie. So Gil Portes didn't give her any instructions on how she should act in each scene in the film, I asked. He said pinabayaan lang siya ni Gil (Portes). 'Merika was great for the simple reason that director had a briliiant script to work with. Apparently, Gil Portes shot the movie using the first draft of the screenplay. Gil said that he met Ate Guy twice during the shoot and she was extremely warm and accomodating.

2007-01-01T07:52:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR SUPERSTAR!

Dearest Ate Guy,

I would just like to thank you for all the great films and music you've shared. All of which still continue to give me immense joy. I've long been relieving what others call your glory days. The important films you've made during the 70's and the 80's. I wallow in the pleasure of watching these classics over and over again, and I do consider myself to be very lucky to have most of those important films on video. I still get excited whenever I watch Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos and marvel at your genius in Himala and Bona. But there's this certain connection between me and your films which has played a huge part in my life when I was growing up. As a young boy, I would ditch school, go to the theaters and spend the whole afternoon watching your movies. The images on the silver screen resonates with me and to my surprise, after all these years it still does.

I consider myself to be among the fortunate few who was given the chance to spend time with you. How can I forget the Power Of Two Concert Series with Kuh Ledesma three years ago? I even flew to San Francisco to witness this event first hand. You weren't feeling well the very first time we've met but you graciously accommodated all of us. You even allowed us to accompany you during the rehearsals for the show. And sitting next to you while having dinner, I was starstruck! Along with other Noranians I followed you to San Diego, then here in the East Coast. The sleepless nights I spent driving back and forth to Atlantic City just to be near you. I never felt exhausted even once! You've always been a constant source of strength. But I guess like any other, I'm just human and when we were in Virginia Beach I got sick and you were there inside our hotel room, nursing me to health. You never left my side until I fell asleep. I was genuinely touched by your thoughtfulness, it made me cry... I cannot believe that the one person I admired my entire life was sitting next to me, taking good care of me. How can I forget all those memories? It's one of those special moments I'll cherish and forever be greatful for.

I know things haven't been easy for you this past year, what with the drug charges and all, but like any other problem that came your way, you were still able to rise above it all. You have proven not just to us your followers, but to your detractors as well that you can pull yourself together and still be triumphant at the end. On this New Year's day, I wish you good health, happiness and inner peace. May the Lord Almighty continue to shower you with all His love and Abundant Blessings! Things may not always come your way like they used to but always remember that no matter what, I'll be here to love you unconditionally and continue to support your future endeavors. As I listen to Superstar, your latest compilation CD I was reminded of how much I loved one particular song which the late great composer George Canseco wrote espcially for you, I was suddenly reminded of all the journeys in life that I took with you, (well, you weren't physically there but you know what I mean). I always listen to this song with much fondness.

LUHA AT HALAKHAK

Sung By: Nora Aunor

Words And Music By: George Canseco

Arranged By: Amado Trivino

Minsan ang ngiti,

Sa wari'y kay tamis

Di mo alam na sa likod pala,

May nakatagong hinagpis.

Dangan ay dapat kang humalakhak,

Sa ngalan ng pakikisama

Huwag kang pahuhuling, umiiyak

Kung di mo nais mag-isa.

Kapag ang tagumpay,

Ay nasa iyong kamay

Marami ang sa iyo'y nagmamahal

Mailap ang pagkalumbay

Subalit ang talunan sa daigdig,

Walang kasing kaawa-awa,

Iniiwasang parang may sakit

Na nakahahawang pagluha.Ang buhay nga naman,

Walang iniwan sa dalawang maskara ng sining

Isang humahalkhak at isang lumuluha,

Ikaw, ano ang maskarang naitakda sa iyo?

Luha o halakhak?Dangan ay dapat kang humalakhak,

Sa ngalan ng pakikisama

Huwag kang pahuhuling umiiyak

Kung di mo nais mag-isa.

Kapag ang tagumpay,

Ay nasa iyong kamay

Marami ang sa iyo'y nagmamahal

Mailap ang pagkalumbay

Subalit ang talunan sa daigdig,

Walang kasing kaawa-awa,

iniiwasang parang may sakit

Na nakahahawang pagluha,

Nag-iisang lumuluha,

Isang kaibigan may wala.

A Very Happy New Year!

With Much Love And Admiration,

Jojo

2006-12-27T20:37:00.000-05:00

From KUWAN Jun Lana's Blog

Superstar

May natanggap akong IM galing sa isang close friend. Hiwalay na sila ng partner niya. Halos 15 years din sila. Sobra akong affected pag may mga kakilala akong naghihiwalay. Except yata nung maghiwalay si Ate Guy at Richard Merk. At saka si Ate Guy at John Rendez. Come to think of it, hindi pala ako affected pag nakikipaghiwalay si Nora Aunor. Mommy ko lang. Die-hard Noranian yun. Nung bata ako, kung pag usapan ng mga tita ko si Nora Aunor sa bahay, iisipin mo kamag-anak namin siya. In fact, mas madalas pa kaming manood ng Superstar (yung show ni Ate Guy sa channel 9) tuwing linggo kesa magsimba. Kakaiba ang variety show noon. Walang nangyayari. Hindi kagaya ngayon, pag nanood ka ng SOP o ASAP o SIS, akala mo laging may piyesta, laging may confetting bumabagsak, laging may mga baklang impersonator, at ang favorite spiel ng mga host: "Ang saya saya!" kahit mukhang bored na bored sila.

Dati, nauso sa showbiz ang tangga. Yung bathing suit na kita ang singit at kuyukot ng babae. Si Alma Moreno, Maricel Soriano, Vilma Santos, lahat sila nag-tangga. One Sunday night habang naglalaro ako ng game-and-watch sa kuwarto ko, narinig kong nagkakagulo ang mga tita ko sa sala. So agad akong lumabas para makita kung ano ang nangyayari. Nanonood pala sila ng Superstar. And lo and behold, naka-tangga si Ate Guy. At hindi lang basta tangga, naka-hair extension din siya na 5 feet ata ang haba. Eh hindi naman matangkad si Ate Guy di ba? So yung hair extension umabot na sa sakong niya. And to complete the look, naka-blue contact lense din ang lola, dahil uso din yun noon. Tuwang-tuwa ang mommy ko at ang mga kapatid niya. Ang ganda-ganda daw ni Ate Guy. Ako naman, hindi makaimik. Kakaibang creature ang napapanood ko ng gabing yun. Hind siya si Nora Aunor. Para siyang yung babaeng smurf. Later, nung nauso ang troll dolls, naalala ko uli si Ate Guy.

Ibang klase din noon ang showbiz. Close to 300 pinoy films ang pinapalabas every year. So almost every other week, may pelikula rin si Ate Guy. At ang karibal niya sa takilya na si Ate Vi. Isang beses, biglang nagsabay ang playdate ng "Condemned" ni Ate Guy at "Alyas Baby Tsina" ni Ate Vi. Ang mommy at mga tita ko, nangampaya sa buong Salvatierra Compound ng Sta Mesa para panoorin ang pelikula ni Ate Guy. 7 years old lang ako noon, at for adults only ang "Condemned" pero ang mommy ko, nagdecide na kailangang sumama akong manood para makadagdag sa ticket sales ni Ate Guy. Hindi mahigpit ang mga sinehan noon, tatangungin ka lang ng takilyera, ilang taon ka na? Sasagot ka lang ng 18, at papapasukin ka na. But to play safe, pinagsuot ako ng long sleeves at balat na sapatos ng mommy ko para magmukha raw akong mature. Well, it worked. Walong beses ko yatang napanood ang "Condemned", and each time naka-long sleeves at balat na sapatos ako.

Anyway, balikan ko lang yung tungkol sa friend kong nakipaghiwalay. Ang lungkot. Buti na lang andiyan ang memories ni Ate Guy to comfort me.

2006-12-25T07:53:00.000-05:00

THE SUPERSTAR IN ACTION

Once the Superstar takes centerstage, her main goal is to entertain the fans who came to watch her perform. Ate Guy amazingly gives her all in each number. She even throws one liners at the audience. In the numerous occassions I've seen her perform, this was the only time she really took command of the entire show. Unlike in her previous engagements where she would take breaks during the guest comedian's routine, here she only had 5 minute breaks during each set.

Fans flock to the stage each time and it was extremely difficult for us to maintain crowd control. Since there was no security at the venue, we had to take charge of the audience. They will be trying to pull her off the stage. When Ate Guy decided to join the fans they are drawn to her like moths to a flame. This much I can say, she is first and foremost an entertainer, and by watching her perform you're not just entertained, you are taken to her world. The world of Nora Aunor, the One And Only Superstar.

2006-12-20T07:43:00.000-05:00

A SUPERSTAR CHRISTMAS

Our dear Noranian friend Nestor de Guzman sent this photo of Ate Guy.
A special greeting from someone close to my heart the One And Only Superstar.

2006-12-09T07:20:00.000-05:00

BEFORE THE SHOW

Minutes before the show, Ate Guy's business manager Norie Sayo gave her specific instructions to do a spiel first instead of singing her opening number so she can warm up the audience. This was the very first time I saw the Superstar perform all by herself. Unlike her previous engagements where she would have Fe de los Reyes, Bernardo Bernardo and Leonard Obal to perform the comic routine, Ate Guy had to do it all. She was nervous at first. After wishing her goodluck, we left the Superstar inside the dressing room as she prayed. Afterwhich, I handed her the microphone as she took center stage.

2006-12-06T19:41:00.000-05:00

A SUPER SURPRISE

During the almost two hour autograph signing after the show, a fan gave Ate Guy a gold chain. I was surprised by the gesture. She just placed the necklace around Ate Guy's neck . In the numerous times, I've been in the same situation, something extraordinary always happens. Ate Guy thanked the fan and gave her a big hug. She even showed me the necklace hence the photo. The elderly woman behind me whispered, Tingnan mo, ang ganda ng kuwintas na ibinigay kay Nora! to which I responded, Opo nga eh! She even asked me Magkano ang ibinabayad ni Nora sa 'yo? I smiled and simply said, Ginagawa ko po ito dahil sa pagmamahal ko kay Ate Guy! She said Ang suwerte mo naman! I then told her Talaga po! After our short conversation, I took her to Ate Guy so she can sign her CD's and have her picture taken with the Superstar.

2006-12-04T20:22:00.000-05:00

A CHRISTMAS SONG TO REMEMBER

Since Christmas is just around the corner, during last Saturday's concert Ate Guy was asked to sing Pasko Na, Sinta Ko which was not included in her repertoire. While getting ready for her next set, the show's musical director General Norie Sayo told me to inform Ate Guy about the number, she said she doesn't know the lyrics to the song, General asked me to write it for her. Next thing I knew, there I was backstage, writing the lyrics to Pasko Na, Sinta Ko so Ate Guy can sing it. While she was singing the song with my hand written lyrics in tow, we were all in tears. Ate Guy just sang it with so much longing... we all felt the loneliness in her voice. Her performance almost brought the house down. After the number, she kept on apologizing for not memorizing the lyrics, she probably forgot that it was an impromptu number. This was actually the first time I saw her in a show by herself, and I'm still enthralled by this truly gifted and amazing performer.

2006-12-03T16:34:00.000-05:00

A SUPER CHRISTMAS PRESENT

As all hardcore Noranians know, once you've bonded with Ate Guy it would be impossible to convice the Superstar to sign an autograph. When I first met Ate Guy during the first leg of her Power Of Two US Concert Tour with Pop Diva Kuh Ledesma a couple of years ago in San Francisco, I brought the DVD of Bilangin Ang Bituin Sa Langit (1989) with me so I can have it autographed. Unfortunately for me, after spending sometime with Ate Guy, when I asked her to sign my DVD she refused to do so. She told me that I am not a fan anymore but a family member. From the number of occassions, I've spent time with the Superstar, I would constantly beg her to sign my Nora memorabilia. Last summer when she was here in the East Coast, I tried asking her if she could sign my poster of Andrea, Paano Ba Ang Maging Isang Ina? (1990) and once again, she didn't give in to my request. Over the weekend, Leonel and I was asked by her business manager General Norie Sayo to watch her show in Baltimore. I brought a lobby card from her film Minsan, May Isang Ina (1983) so I could ask her for the nth time to sign it for me. Before we left this afternoon, she called me to her hotel room and to my utmost surprise, she handed me the lobby card with a personal dedication. I cannot believe that after all the pleading she finally gave in to my lifelong request. I told her that it's really a Super Christmas present!

2006-11-19T09:32:00.000-05:00

ONCE A WRITER

With Marina Feleo Gonzales

During the New York Filipino Film Festival held last month at the ImaginAsian Cinema in Manhattan, Filipino film enthusiasts had the rare opportunity of watching Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo (Premiere Productions, 1976) on the big screen. The film starred Philippine Superstar Nora Aunor as Corazon de la Cruz, a Filipino nurse with dreams of working in the land of milk and honey. It was quite an opportunity to have met the writer, Marina Feleo Gonzales, one of the four pioneer women who made this film a reality, the other three being lead actress Aunor, director Lupita A. Concio (now Kashiwahara) and producer Digna Santiago. She shared stories on how Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo came into fruition. The film was based on real life events and she used those events as the genesis for the film. Ms. Gonzales hasn't seen the movie in twenty seven years. There were scenes that made her cry and I had goosebumps while she was regailing us with her experiences during filming. She told me that Nora Aunor was the only actress she had in mind to play Corazon de la Cruz. Ms. Gonzales said that the director was faithful to the script. The writer said that she didn't have chance to watch the play when it was staged by PETA in 1991. Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo is one of the best films produced during the Second Golden Age of Philippine Cinema and after watching it again on the big screen, it certainly is.

2006-11-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

BONA: Martyr Or Monster
Film Review By: Noel Vera

(Please note: plot discussed in close detail)

Lino Brocka's Bona is possibly the least-seen of his major works, partly because the two remaining good prints of the picture had been squirreled away abroad (to the Cinematheque Francais and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art), while Filipinos back home had to content themselves with fading recollections and equally faded Betamax tapes. Everyone remembers how powerful the film was; no one can rightly say they've actually seen it, at least in recent years.

It's exciting news to learn that Cinema One with the help of the Cinematheque is broadcasting a clear new video copy of Bona , one with French subtitles. For a new generation of viewers--one barely able to recognize the name of Brocka--this is a chance to finally see a famed classic; for those who remember the film from its Metro Manila Film Festival run this is a chance to update (and possibly destroy--but that's the risk of any revival) their Beta-assisted memories with freshly minted images. Whichever you are, veteran or innocent, even twenty-six years later there's much in the film that can still shock and appall.

To know more about Bona the film it's helpful to know a little about "Bona," the episode that debuted on the TV drama anthology Babae (Woman), with Laurice Guillen as Bona and Ronaldo Valdez as the actor she has an affair with. Brocka in a 1981 interview with Agustin Sotto describes the TV drama as a "first love affair" that the girl enjoyed so much she starts following the man around; the film on the other hand is "a case study of a social phenomenon…an 18-year-old girl who gives up everything--her boyfriend, her family--for her movie idol."[1] Guillen, the actress who Brocka called his "Jeanne Moreau" (meaning, presumably, that she would play the neurotic types) said she could "relate to it…like Bona, I felt so exploited in what I felt was a one-sided relationship."[2]

Translating the drama to the big screen, Brocka made some fundamental and quite fascinating changes--the casting of Nora, for one, as Bona. Aunor, famous for being the first Filipina actress with brown skin and small stature to become a movie star, is equally famous for playing countryside maidens, domestic helpers, laundry women, water carriers--humble figures her millions of fans could identify with, and whose eventual rise to fame and fortune they could celebrate. The course of Bona's fate runs backwards--she's the daughter of a middle-class family. If she shines shoes and cooks food and cleans house, it's because she chooses to; she elects to leave her family and humble herself for her movie idol. As Brocka put it, referring to Aunor's own fans: "You will hear them talk about what they have given up. Some have given up their husbands, others a good job…this sacrifice becomes a badge for them."[3]

Of Aunor's stardom Brocka said, "She was the only star I know who could silence a crowd. After the premiere of Ina Ka ng Anak Mo (You Are the Mother of Your Child, 1979), a big crowd waited for her outside the lobby. People were unruly. Her car was being bumped by the crowd. All she did was put a finger on her lips and raise her right hand, and it was like the parting of the Red Sea. You could hear a pin drop." [4] It's typical of Brocka's sensationalist genius, not to mention his sense of mischief, that he take the inspiration for such fanaticism and make her play someone capable of the same fanaticism; when the fans sat down to watch their heroine, this time they found themselves in the shoes of an altogether darker character, capable of extremes of cruelty and violence, a warped reflection of themselves.

The opening sequence, filmed during the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, right away establishes the similarity between movie-star worship and religious worship. Brocka's camera is poised from high up--from a godlike vantage point--looking down on the sea of faces surrounding the statue; he captures footage of men and women tossing towels at the statue, hoping attendants will pick up the towels, touch the Nazarene and toss it back to them (the dark wooden statue is said to have miraculous powers). The sequence has the crudity of a documentary, or a news segment, and seems all the more real for it. At a certain point, the camera catches Bona watching the parade go by; a cut and Bona is in the same pose but her hair is different--she's at a studio shoot, facing a different idol for adoration.

Early on Brocka establishes how lowly Gardo, Bona's movie actor, is. Gardo is a bit player who has dabbled in everything from song-and-dance to softcore porn, all with little success. Fans complained about having Aunor's character admire such a small-time loser, but Brocka points out that "if she had been adoring a superstar like herself, she would be surrounded by so many fans that her own personal drama would be obscured…" [5] More, a multitude of fans would imply a support group, other people sharing in her fixation, lessening the burden of loneliness and alienation from the world. Bona's choice of worship isn't all that unusual, actually--Adele Hugo in Francois Truffaut's L'Histoire d'Adele H. attached herself to a junior officer, to his and her mutual ruin; Catherine Sloper was ready to give up everything for her low-life paramour in Henry James' Washington Square. With certain pathological types the object of obsession's impeccability matters less than the invincibility of said obsession.

Gardo as played by Philip Salvador is a vain, self-centered, immature man; he's also a drunkard, a womanizer, a brawler, and a braggart. When Bona moves in with him he accepts her services eagerly, when she makes the slightest complaint he slaps her, and when she poses the least inconvenience he tosses her aside--not once, but twice. When Gardo takes advantage of Bona's willingness to serve him hand and foot he does with all the careless eagerness of a child, voice and face cheerful as if he were saying: "Isn't this fun? Don't you wish we could always be like this?" What's so fascinating about Brocka's direction of Salvador is Brocka's willingness to "play into type"--to show Gardo's character embodying not just every cliché about narcissistic actors, but also every unflattering gossip said against Salvador himself. Brocka either flirts dangerously with the rumors or simply doesn't care who notices: he poses Salvador in various stages of undress against light and shadow, the better to show off his smooth muscles and noble profile. Ronaldo Valdez, who originated the role in television, is an excellent enough actor that he can play a handsome cad and still be charming, even worthy of our sympathy (as he does to wonderful effect in Brocka's 1976 Insiang), but Valdez also gives off a powerful macho vibe--he's like a Filipino Clark Gable constantly on the prowl. Salvador as he appears in the film version is prettier, more delicate, a petulant child in need of care--care that Bona is willing to give Gardo in terms of the film's story, and Brocka is willing to give Salvador in terms of the film's making. The parallels between Gardo and Salvador, between Bona and Brocka (even their names sound similar) are unavoidable.

It's a hideously unsparing portrait and Salvador must be given his due for agreeing to play such a character; he must have had some idea of how people would react and how closely they would compare his real self to his reel self, yet there he is on the big screen, giving himself over completely to the role. Salvador is not a skilled actor--I think some of his best performances came about mainly because Brocka takes such extraordinary care of him--but here he achieves the honesty of a confessional, of self-revelation. His vanities and insecurities as an actor come pouring out of him as if through hypnotic therapy (onscreen they are passed off as drunken tirades); his neediness--his greed for constant attention, approval, adoration--is so great any possibility of admiring the man is swept aside by an overwhelming sense of contempt. What intensifies this quality in the performance is the sense you have that Brocka is confessing as well, admitting his foolishness in being so utterly taken in by a pretty face; you might say that this film is his way of seeking maybe not revenge, but resolution.

Which brings us to Aunor, and if Salvador is an actor by director's fiat (careful choice of appropriate roles, even more careful framing and lighting of the actor for maximum beauty and dramatic impact) Aunor is an actress almost despite the director. Brocka uses the opposite approach with her that he uses on Salvador--no glamour shots with thick gels or careful lighting, no easy scenes with paint-by-numbers emotions. Brocka uses long takes for crucial moments and in those takes she's often the focus, the fulcrum, around which the scene's complicated emotional scheme turns; even when her fellow actor looms larger on the screen, or is favored by the camera's position, she dominates the scene.

The story is familiar to most Filipinos, and for those not familiar, it's easy enough to follow: Bona attends Gardo's shoots, often bringing him soda and a snack (at one point we see the origin of Bona's fixation--an autographed picture of Gardo that he in all probability wished he never gave her). One night she is accompanying Gardo when he is beaten up; she takes him to his house and nurses him back to health. When she returns home she's whipped by her father (Venchito Galvez) for disappearing without a word; she leaves her family and informs Gardo she's moving in with him. Bona does everything for Gardo--the cooking, the cleaning, the fetching of water (a detail which must have tickled fans--Aunor was a water seller in the province of Iriga before she became famous); she even sells bottles in a cart for housekeeping money, and asks for credit from the grocery when money is short.

Early on Brocka establishes the crucial scene where Bona has to boil water and mix it with tap water for Gardo to bathe in; the image--a grown man washed by a grown woman--inspires thoughts of infantilism. Recall that after Gardo had been beaten he had looked up at Bona and, delirious, mistaken her for his mother; on several other occasions when Bona tucks him into bed drunk he talks to her as if she was his mother, speaking in a slurred, petulant voice. Gardo with Bona often regresses into a childlike state where he demands to be pampered and spoiled; Bona, being fixated on Gardo, readily agrees to his demands.

It's an oddly chaste situation--odd especially as Laurice Guillen in the TV version lost her virginity to Valdez right off--and all the more authentically perverse for its chastity. An infant is a sexual being, but the sexuality is focused more on the skin (warm bathing water) and mouth (food, drink) than on the genitals (undeveloped in a baby). This film's Bona, presumably a virgin, would know little about genital sex; she readily fulfills Gardo's demands for food and warm water, but is helpless when it comes to his two fiercest needs--for strong drink (which he slakes at the nearest nightclub bar) and for adult sex (which he sates through practically every pretty woman he meets).

Midway through Brocka gives us a shot of a fully awake and standing Gardo looking down on Bona, asleep under the mosquito net; this reversal is so startling we see it instantly for what it is: Gardo has finally come to see Bona as a sexual being. It isn't a complete reversal, of course; this still has to be all about Gardo and his pleasures. He wakes Bona and demands to be massaged; presumably he believes that the experience of spreading oil onto his naked body will be enough to arouse Bona, convince her to give in to him.

He grabs her by the wrist. Brocka cuts to a shot of Bona's face, and the expression is strangely familiar--it's the same expression Aunor had with Lito Lapid in Mario O'Hara's Kastilyong Buhangin (Castle of Sand, 1980), an expression she wears when some needy man comes to her, asking for sex. It's the expression of a woman wise not in matters sexual, but in the ways of the world and of her own body as she debates with herself: "making love to this man is not the smart thing to do…but I'm tired of always knowing the smart thing to do (or, in Bona's case "tired of not knowing what to do"). In any case, I want to do this."

The punchline comes the next morning, when Bona prepares Gardo's breakfast. Bona is guarded, wary, alert for any change to come over Gardo. Nothing--he's his usual cheerfully self-absorbed self. Gardo has gotten away with it again; Bona for all her intelligence has outsmarted herself, given away what most Filipinas consider their most valuable asset--their virtue--for practically nothing.

Or has she? More on that thought later…

Brocka is a master at sketching social hierarchies, and Bona contains fine examples of his skill. Bona, constantly following in Gardo's wake, meets the different people in his life, and constantly tests herself against them--establishing pecking order, in effect. When Bona sees Gardo and a woman walk into a motel room, the next day Bona shoves the woman into water; when Gardo brings a woman home for the night, the next day Bona chases the woman out with a broom--and is promptly slapped down by Gardo, who informs her that he'll bring home anyone he chooses. Order established--the girlfriends, then Bona, then Gardo above all. When she meets Nilo (Nanding Josef), who is clearly in love with her, she feels nothing but contempt--in the scene where Nilo confesses his love for Bona, Brocka frames the two with Nilo behind Bona, and Bona refusing to look at his face. As far as Bona's concerned, Nilo occupies the ladder rung below her--the only possible position for someone foolish enough to love unreservedly (someone, in effect, much like herself).

Interestingly, Nilo is the only one who is able to free himself from Bona's influence (more on this later): taking Bona's advice to heart about seeking other women, he informs her (in a scene where they stand side-by-side, Nilo's bulk overshadowing Bona's slight build within the camera frame) that he's getting married. It's an odd moment: Bona seems to acknowledge Nilo's risen status by confiding a dream she has, an eerie apocalyptic dream where everyone is burning, and she is wrapped in fire. Brocka makes no attempt to visualize the dream, but he does wrap Aunor in the orange glow of a Manila Bay sunset.

Bona's relationship with her family is a thornier issue: she loves her mother and her mother loves her; that much we know. Her mother makes demands at first ("Come back now, and forget Gardo"), qualifies them ("Come back anytime, but you must forget Gardo"), eventually finds her power to compel her daughter home taken almost completely out of her hands ("Come back, but don't let your older brother (Spanky Manikan) see you, or he'll kill you."). The father throws Bona out, finds out where she's staying, attempts to drag her back home; Bona tries to defy him both times, but only the second time does she succeed, and only thanks to a plot twist (a heart attack, conveniently timed--or was it?).

Now is as good a time as any to note the contribution of the great Conrado Baltazar, who gave films like Insiang (1976) and Jaguar (1979) their inimitably squalid look, and Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos (Three Years Without God, 1976) its at times stylized lyricism. Baltazar gets deeper shadows and harsher glares out of an incandescent bulb (the lighting of choice of Manila squatter shanties in the '70s) than almost any other cinematographer I can think of; he knows how to bring out the muddy details of a sewage-choked canal or a trash-strewn street so that you can practically smell the stench. Brocka, trusting in Baltazar to achieve what he needs, focuses on the blocking and performances of his actors. The words "stagy" and "theaterbound" often have unflattering connotations, but Brocka uses his theater training to locate his actors effectively within the frame, in a way that develops his "pecking order" theme--who is dominant, who is submissive, whose status is ascending, whose is descending. Within Brocka's trademark long takes--the theater proscenium translated to the big screen--you can feel the crisscrossing lines of force as actors enter, struggle, and--win or lose--resolve their conflict.

Or you hear the terrible hiss of energy dissipating, as in the shot where Bona follows Gardo and one of his girlfriends out a bar's back door. The camera pans from bar to nearby motel; Gardo and his girl don't even hesitate--they walk through the motel room door and shut it behind them. Bona is left in the parking lot staring at the door, disco music playing behind her; after a long while you see her climb into a nearby jeep (decorated with the film crew's wrap party banner), presumably to wait out the night, maybe sleep. The pathos of the scene, the unutterable loneliness suggested by Bona's silent back as she faces that door is something few other filmmakers can surpass; I doubt if Brocka ever did, himself.

Often the conflict isn't resolved, or is resolved in a way that achieves only a temporary balance, the hidden instability increasing with time. Crucial to emphasizing this element is Max Jocson's music, particularly his bongo drums. I wondered about those drums and their thrilling tattoo at first, how appropriate they were to what is essentially a melodrama (they sounded like they belonged in an action picture); after awhile my doubts vanished. Jocson's drums signal the presence of tension, of a huge watch-spring being turned round and round until it couldn't possibly be tighter: you waited for the spring either to quickly unwind or to snap, with the resulting catastrophic consequences.

As to the catastrophe's catalyst--much has been written about Gardo's selfishness towards Bona, the wretched way he treats her; I have yet to read anyone mention Bona's effect on Gardo. Bona's devotions hold Gardo back, keep him regressed and childish; while Bona caters to him, Gardo will not learn how to care for himself (one wonders how he managed before he met Bona), he will not control his drinking or womanizing (both of which continually land him in trouble), he will not move beyond the illusion that he is an aspiring star waiting for his big break. Gardo is in a state of stasis; he will not grow up, he does not want to grow up as long as he remains in Bona's heroically patient care.

Enter Katrina (Marissa Delgado, one of Brocka's regular stock players). She is a woman's woman whose figure has developed far beyond Bona's childlike physique. Gardo is in love with her, and she with him; better still, she has money. Gardo and Katrina wake Bona up late one night: he has a gift for her--a birthday gift! Bona sits up, eyes heavy with sleep, but you can tell she is wary--Gardo receives gifts, he never gives them (Gardo says Katrina chose the gift; presumably, she used her own cash to buy it). Gardo insists that they go out; at the nightclub the camera looks straight at Bona while she peers at Katrina and Gardo on either side of the screen, dancing. She has her hair pulled back, and she's wearing Gardo's gift--a v-cut purple blouse that fits her simplicity perfectly. It's the rare moment where Bona finally manages to look lovely (and Brocka privileges her with a glamour shot), but no one's paying attention; Gardo and Katrina only have eyes for each other.

Later, Gardo, sitting at the kitchen table, gives her the news: he's giving up acting--he loves it but apparently the job doesn't love him; more, he and Katrina are immigrating to America, and Bona has to vacate and go home because he's selling the house. Bona has just come from her father's funeral, where she had been thrown out by her furious elder brother. She has never looked lovelier than she does now, standing at the far wall wearing shoulder-length hair and the dress she had on at the funeral; she has also never looked more threatened. She walks up to Gardo's table (walking up to the camera lens), informs him that her brother threatened to kill her if she ever comes back, and asks what is to become of her. Gardo, thoughtless as usual, has no real answer--a foreground object (he occupies the left side of the screen) with no force, no presence, no ability to resolve the conflict being presented to him. In his mind he's already looking forward to life with Katrina in the United States; Bona is just an annoying unresolved issue here in Manila.

We're not paying attention to Gardo of course; our eyes are fixed on Bona, who says nothing yet is clearly devastated. It's Brocka's cleverest bit of misdirection, I think: by focusing on Bona's anguish we are distracted from a crucial development in Gardo's life--his attainment of a certain kind of maturity, a certain kind of belated adulthood. Katrina has managed to prod Gardo into thinking of others, however briefly (Bona's birthday gift); has helped him realize he must give up useless pursuits (becoming a movie star); has redirected his energies into something ostensibly more productive (immigrating to America).

Why is Katrina's influence so positive and Bona's so negative? Isn't Bona supposed to be the heroine of this film? Looking back, one wonders just how much control Gardo had all along--control which, when you think about it, is actually a function of how much control Bona allowed him to have over herself. You wonder about Bona's wariness the morning after she was deflowered; was she looking for affection from Gardo, some sign from him that he finally regards her as a woman, to be treasured and desired? Or was she looking for signs of change--signs of Gardo's attitude towards her evolving, becoming less childlike, moving away from the stasis she so dearly prized? Was his indifference to what happened the night before a source of disappointment for her, or relief?

With her family it seemed that stronger forces bent Bona this way and that, but when you really think about it, you realize that even then everything was shaped by Bona's decisions--she manages to stay with Gardo and her defiance triggers her father's heart attack. She may be terrified of her older brother but his authority is strictly limited--outside of the house he, unlike their father (who suffers as a consequence), does not try to reach out and pull Bona away from Gardo.

As for Nilo--Nilo seems to be the exception that proves the film's "rules." He loved Bona, but found love elsewhere when she rejected him. Unlike the others, Nilo is willing to adjust, to compromise, and this flexible attitude saves him; you might say of all the characters he's most immune to Bona's "curse."

So--does Bona deserve a radical re-evaluation? Is Bona the real villainess and Gardo her helpless victim? Not necessarily--I still think Gardo is basically selfish and Bona essentially pathetic. But the flow of feeling from people who give and people who take is rarely simple, and never one-way; there is feedback, a series of transactions, interesting vortices of emotions at play here that make the film much more than just a sordid portrait of exploitation and revenge.

I do believe both Brocka and Salvador have revealed something of their relationship as director and actor in this picture--much more than perhaps they themselves intended. And that Aunor channeled the force of their feelings to create a great performance, easily the best she has given for the most famous Filipino director who ever lived.

Bona

is a masterpiece of acting, psychology, self-revelation, realist cinema; we study it for its subtleties (of which I think there are many), but finally we experience it as a cathartic drama, an occasion for identification and reflection. Viewing the film, we see uncomfortable reminders of ourselves, by turns exploring and exploiting, seducing and betraying, adoring and abusing. Viewing the film, we realize that we are our own martyrs and monsters.

(The author thanks Jojo Devera for source materials)

2006-11-09T06:37:00.000-05:00

NORA AUNOR Actress Or Robot?

By Noel Vera

I understand where the wish that Nora Aunor would be more sociable and cooperative is coming from and I sympathize; in a perfect world, we would have Nora with all her passion and volatility wrapped in a perfectly malleable package...just like a lot of actors and actresses out there with proven staying power but just not that much talent, who have careers because they do what their agents tell them to do, say what their agents tell them to say. It's a career...but is it a life worth remembering?

But...let me put it this way: how do you bottle a bolt of lightning? How do you tame an earthquake, or keep the high tide on the shore? Nora is just like any other great artist, she has this incredible talent, and with that talent flaws and foibles just like any other human being; if anything, flaws are worse in a great artist, maybe because they have this power in them that they always (but not always so successfully) have to manage, to control.

So she's eccentric and inconsistent; the way I see it, that comes from her insecurities, from the demons inside her, and I suspect so does her great talent; take away the demons, and you probably take away the talent.
I'm not saying my reading of her is true, just that I suspect it is. So what do we want? An inconsistent, eccentric star actress who also happens to have given us some of the greatest performances in Philippine cinema, or a professional hack who performs like a robot? I don't know, but I personally prefer the actress to the robot.

2006-11-07T07:29:00.000-05:00

THE LAUNCHING

Ian addressing the fans

It was a monumental event for Noranians. Finally after two years of preparation, The Nora Aunor Website is up and running. Followers of the Superstar can now access everything they wanted to know about Philippine Cinema's Greatest Actress online.

Superkids Matet, Lotlot, Kiko and Ian with son-in-law Mickey Estrada

As always, Ate Guy's children graced the event to show their undying love and support. Also present during the launch was comedian Teri Onor who made a career out of impersonating the Superstar. The event was spearheaded by Uber-Noranians Albert Sunga, Nestor de Guzman and Marlon Antolin. Nora Aunor's 39 Years of Artistry is enough reason for this celebration.

Here's Teri with the kids

2006-10-29T14:23:00.000-05:00

SUPERWARDROBE

Is it me or am I seeing double? I've seen most of Ate Guy's films many times thanks to the advent of video and DVD, I can't help but notice that she have worn the same outfit in some of her movies. Most notably would be the black top Ate Guy wore in Ikaw Ay Akin (1978) in the scene where she was clothes shopping with Rex (Christopher de Leon) at Rustan's. Four years later she would wear it again in T-Bird At Ako (1982) where Atty. Sylvia Salazar bared her inner self to ardent suitor and rival Jake (Tommy Abuel).

In Panakip Butas (1977), Ate Guy was wearing this printed number while pouring her heart out to Andre (Sandy Garcia). The same top shows up two years later when the Superstar wore it again in the unforgettable reveleation scene in Lino Brocka's Ina Ka Ng Anak Mo (1979), where she uttered the famous line Hayup... hayup! Like the aforementioned scenes her wardrobe is just as memorable.

2006-10-28T07:05:00.000-04:00

Nora Aunor ICON (The Superstar's Official Website)

Philippine Superstar Nora Aunor's Official Website was launched yesterday at the Mowelfund Plaza where Noranians from around the country gathered to celebrate Ate Guy's 39th Anniversay in showbiz. Filled with interesting articles and reviews of the Superstar's incomparable body of work from her films, music to television and stage performances. Regarded as The Greatest Filipino Performer Of All Time, the website offers insights to her unsurpassed genius. It's the artist at work. Witness the greatest gift to Philippine Cinema... Nora Aunor Superstar!

2006-10-22T10:18:00.000-04:00

S Magazine's Greatest Filipino Actresses of All Time

Superstar Nora Aunor has topped S Magazine's 100-people poll of the greatest actresses in Philippine cinema. She garnered 85 votes, three more than number two placer and arch-rival Vilma Santos. Among those surveyed were film critics Butch Francisco, Mario Baustista, Gino Dormiendo and Mario Hernando, award-winning actors Dawn Zulueta, Cesar Montano and Glydel Mercado and film directors Jose Javier Reyes, Brillante Mendoza, Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil and Sigfried Barros-Sanchez.

La Aunor was cited for her compelling perfomances in Himala, Atsay, Ina Ka Ng Anak Mo, Bona, Ikaw Ay Akin, Bulaklak Sa City Jail, Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos, Bilangin Ang Mga Bituin Sa Langit, Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo, Fe, Esperanza, Caridad, Banaue, Condemned, Andrea, Paano Ba Ang Maging Isang Ina?, Bakit May Kahapon Pa?, Ang Totoong Buhay Ni Pacita M., Bakit Bughaw Ang Langit?, The Flor Contemplacion Story, and Naglalayag.

Ten years ago, Nora also topped a greatest Filipino actress survey of the Manila Times' Lifestyle Section.

Here's the ranking of the top 15 Greatest Filipino Actresses Ever:

1. Nora Aunor - 85 votes
2. Vilma Santos - 82 votes
3. Lolita Rodriguez - 57 votes
4. Charito Solis - 52 votes
5. Hilda Koronel - 50 votes
6. Gloria Romero - 45 votes
7. Nida Blanca - 40 votes
8. Jaclyn Jose - 40 votes
9. Gina Alajar - 40 votes
10. Sharon Cuneta - 37 votes
11. Maricel Soriano - 32 votes
12. Lorna Tolentino - 30 votes
13. Amy Austria - 25 votes
14. Rita Gomez - 23 votes
15. Cherry Pie Picache - 20 votes

2006-10-20T09:08:00.000-04:00

TUNGKOL SA PAGSUSULAT NG HIMALA
Ni Ricky Lee

Sinulat ko ang first draft ng Himala noong 1976 para kay Mike de Leon. Dumalo kami sa mga ispiritista. nag-interbyu ako ng mga taong pinagpapakitaan o sinasaniban ng mga kababalaghan. Pero ang pinaka-pinagmulan ng Himala ay ang nangyari sa Cabra Island noong 1967 kay Belinda, isang dalagitang pinagpakitaan umano ng Birhen. Naging komersyal ang buhay sa isla.

Paiba-iba pa noon ang title -Sta. Maria ni Elsa, Aparisyon, Mga Himala. Hindi natuloy ang project kay Mike. Dalawang taong iniaalok namin ito ni Bibsy Carballo (line producer) sa kung kani-kaninong producer. Walang natuloy. Si Nora Aunor na noon pa man ang balak para sa Elsa. At si Ishmael Bernal ang magdidirek.

Nang ilunsad ang ECP film story contest ay isinali ko ang Himala. Suwerte namang napili ito. Isang buwan ang ibinigay sa akin para tapusin ang bagong draft ng screenplay. May panahon noon na hiniram ko ang beach resort ni Armida Sigulon-Reyna sa Batangas at doon ako nagsulat.

Himala ang screenplay na pinakakonti ang naging konsesyon ko. Sa akin nagsimula ang materyal nito at hindi sa producer. Kung sa isang ordinaryong producer ito. naibigay, maaaring pinilit kaming bigyan ng ka-love team si Nora, at gawing masaya ang ending. Baka utusan pa kaming gawing totoo ang himala.

Kami ang pumili kay Nora Aunor. Pumayag ang ECP na bukod kay Nora, lahat ay baguhan sa pelikula para maging mas totoong tao ang labas, at mas matipid.

Ang naging pinakakonsesyon lang siguro ay ang pangyayaring ang sinulat ko ay isang Cupang na parang impiyerno sa init. Tigang ang lupa at walang tumutubong halaman, kaya handa silang maniwala sa unang patak ng anumang himala. Ang una kong eksena noon ay bus na papasok sa Cupang, sakay si Oriy, ang filmmaker, na para bang bumababa sila sa impiyerno.

Di pumuwede ang ganito dahil gusto ng ECP na ihabol sa Metro Manila Film Festival ang pelikula. Binawasan ko ang init sa script.

Maraming iba pang naging pagbabago mula una nanggang huling rebisyon. Siguro'y para lalong mapaganda at luminaw, o kaya'y dahil di puwede sa produksyon. Anu't anuman, walang mga pagbabagong sumaliwa sa tama, at lahat ito'y ginawa ng Direktor matapos akong konsultahin.

May character na tinanggal: si Espe. Bakia pero tough, namumuno sa pangkat ng mga batang magnanakaw sa mga turista. Isa sa mga batang ito noong una si Nestoy, na noo'y kapatid pa ni Elsa.

Meron ding isang dalaga sa Cupang na gustong mag-artista, at nagpuntang Maynila. Dito tumira si Elsa noong mawala na ang himala, at pumunta siya sa Maynila. Dinalaw niya lahat ng mga lugar na may sinasaniban ng Birhen, kinausap niya ang ibang mga kagaya niya. Lahat nang ito ay tinanggal ko.

Dumalaw ako ilang ulit sa location sa llokos, at marami kaming naging discussions ni Bernal. Karamihan sa mga ito ay nakatulong sa mga rebisyon ko. Nagkaroon ng maraming bersyon ang ending, at ilang araw bago mag-shooting saka ko naibigay ang final draft ng eksena.

Sa isang bersyon ng ending ay hindi namatay si Elsa. Nawala lang ang pagsamba ng mga tao sa kanya at naging ordinaryo siyang tao. Makalipas ang maraming maraming taon ay binalikan siya ni Orly at nakitang matanda na siya, nag-iigib ng tubig sa balon, nakalimutan na ng iahat. Sa isa namang bersyon ay nagkaroon ng espekulasyon na muling nabuhay si Elsa. At sa Simula at wakas ng pelikula ay naghinintay ang mga deboto sa kanyang pagbabaiik.

Kung susulatin ko uli ang Himala ngayon siguro'y lalagyan ko na ito ng konting ngiti, at konting paniniwala, kung hindi man sa mga bagay na hindi natin nakikita, ay sa ibang tao. Pero nagpapasalamat pa rin akong nagawa ito sa labas ng mga establisadong production company. Na nagawa ito, para na rin sa akin, ay isang munting himala.

2006-10-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

NORA AUNOR Film Actress

Best Of The Philippines

By: Justino M. Dormiendo

The story of Nora Aunor is unparalled in the history of Philippine show business. From the wisp of a girl who once peddled water by the railroad tracks in the Bicol town of Iriga, she has become the country's enduring superstar, a multi-awarded film actress, truly a living legend.

Aunor began her showbiz career in 1967 as a champion in the grand finals of the nationwide Tawag ng Tanghalan singing contest. At 14, she waxed a number of records, which became runaway bestsellers. Dubbed as the Girl with the Golden Voice, she changed the course of Philippine pop music by outselling local and foreign singers at that time.

Then, the movies inevitably beckoned. Dr. Jose Perez of Sampaguita Pictures offered the singing sensation guest roles in his films. By 1969, she became a lead star in Young Love, which was followed by pictures in her home studio as well as LEA Productions, with perennial screen partner, Tirso Cruz III. She was later offered to star in Tower Productions? D' Musical Teenage Idols, a box-office hit, like many of her later movies.

Nick Joaquin wrote in his book on Aunor. She has broken the color line in the Philippine movies, where the rule used to be that heroines must be fair skin and chiseled of profile. Though neither fair nor statuesque, she has bloomed into a beauty all the more fascinating because it's not standard. Seen close up, her complexion shows find gold tints, her features reveal a delicacy of outline, and her large liquid eyes are lovely.

After her stint at Tower, which saw her as the object of a legal tussle between her producers, Aunor decided to become a freelancer. She put up her own outfit, NV Productions, (named after Nora Villamayor, her real name). After the release of Banaue, in 1975, a different Aunor would finally emerge. She hired master filmmaker Gerardo de Leon in the historical costume film which is an attempt to recreate the origin of the mountain tribes that built the world-famous Banaue rice terraces. It is while making the film that she met and married Christopher de Leon, himself an accomplished actor.

In 1976, Aunor produced and starred in yet another film, Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos. As the small town school-teacher torn between her love for a guerilla leader fiancèônd a Japanese officer, she ably proved that she was an actress of exceptional talent. There, for her finely delineated portrayal of the tragic maiden, Aunor won both the critics' Gawad Urian and the industry's FAMAS Best Actress awards that same yeat.

Aunor continued to grow as an actress in her later films such as Atsay (1978), where she won yet another award in the Metro Manila Film Festival. Ina Ka ng Anak Mo (1979), where she pitted her talents with veteran actress Lolita Rodriguez, Bona (1980), where she won her second critics? best actress plum, Himala (1982), where she almost bagged the Berlin filmfests' Best Actress prize, losing by a point to the eventual winner. Other memorable Aunor performances are Bulaklak sa City Jail (1984), 'Merika (1984), and Condemned (1984).

While Aunor's present movie career has not yet been as bright, she continues to be active on television with Superstar, the longest running variety show on Philippine television. And even if her film company is no longer active, she continues to manage it, hoping to revive it soon with a line-up of pictures. Today, Aunor, now separated from husband de Leon, continues to be the doting mother to her real-life son, Ian Kristoffer, and adopted children Lotlot de Leon, Matet, both of whom have appeared in films, and Kiko.

Aunor's presence may no longer be as dominant as before, but with the release of her forthcoming films, she hopes to bounce back in circulation and thus prove to all and sundry that she is without doubt the undisputed Queen of Philippine movies.

2006-09-30T07:36:00.000-04:00

AUNOR BACK TO SUPERLATIVE FORM IN LACKLUSTER DIGITAL INDIE

By: Rito Asilo As Published In The Philippine Daily Inquirer September 30, 2006 Page F1

INGRATA

Director: Joey A. Gonzales

Stars: Nora Aunor, Bernardo Bernardo, John Robert Porter Jr. (aka John
Rendez), Germaine de Leon

Fans of Superstar Nora Aunor have something to rejoice about with
her second foray into digital indies in the US. (Her first, Suzette
Ranillo's Care Home about a Filipino professor reduced to working
as a caregiver in America, has yet to be released locally.) She was
last seen in Maryo J. delos Reyes' interesting but flawed May-
September drama, Naglalayag (2004).

Joey Gonzales' relevant but ornately convoluted melodrama follows
the story of Bea (Nora Aunor) 10 years after she leaves her two-
timing husband in the Philippines for a new lease on life, luck and
love in the United States.

Sense Of Resignation

But the sheen of Bea's fabled American Dream has faded: She juggles
two jobs (as a gas station attendant and waitress in a videoke bar)
to support her brilliant daughter's college education, lives in a
shabby mobile home, and has settled into a crippling sense of
resignation as she awaits the release of her abusive, freeloading
new hubby, Noli (an unrecognizably heavy John Rendez aka John Robert
Porter Jr.), a former actor-singer in Manila and sex-chat addict --
who has been languishing in prison for the past year.

Her dreary existence is further shaken when she gets a call from her
gay older brother, Hermie (Bernardo Bernardo), an advertising
executive who also packed up his bags in Manila for greener pastures
in "the land of milk and honey," whom she's forced to take in.

Dilemma

But, as the day of Noli's release draws closer, she's suddenly
sucked into an existential dilemma: How has she been reduced to this
sad, tired woman? Has she lost sight of her dreams forever?

In recent years, the Superstar's distinctly attention-calling acting
mannerisms have blighted her reputation as the country's premier
actress. And, while many of her highly anticipated starrers were
well-intentioned, they were nevertheless overwrought tearjerkers or
middling dramas that featured self-conscious, inconsistent
performances.
Result: That "acting na acting" schtick has made Aunor fodder for
impersonation -- gay or otherwise.

Long Overdue

Ingrata marks Nora's long overdue return to superlative thespic
form -- she looks natural and relaxed. Look, Ma, no grunts this
time! She delivers an indelible performance that would be hard to
beat in next year's acting derbies. Indeed, at her peak, no one
inhabits a character better than La Aunor -- and we couldn't be
happier for the embattled actress! Don't miss the movie if only for
Ate Guy's latest dramatic triumph.

The film, however, isn't as successful. As with most digital
productions shown locally, its production values leave much to be
desired: A sequence shows Aunor singing Kahit Na Magtiis at the
videoke bar where her character works, but for most of it, we only
hear instrumental accompaniment -- a waste of a golden opportunity
to showcase the legendary Superstar's fine voice!

Bernardo, for his part, also comes up with a sensitive performance
as the protagonist's brother, who has to worry about more than just
his immigration status. The actor has a calming presence.
Unfortunately, Rendez turns in a one-note characterization -- you
don't understand how a sensitive soul like Bea could fall for
someone who doesn't show her any affection.

Visual Medium

On point of picture quality, the movie fares better than the recent digital flicks we’ve seen. But, it’s still inferior to many mainstream features -- with a couple of distorted images here and there. Digital or not, film is still a visual medium, after all. If a movie isn’t pleasing to the eyes, then something must be wrong somewhere…

Though minor in thematic scope and cinematic ambition and dragged down by inconsistencies in characterization and narrative detail, Gonzales’ film shows viewers the darker side of the American Dream -- that the face of poverty is the same wherever you are.

As Hermie succinctly explains: "Iisa ang mukha ng paghihirap -- sa Pilipinas man o sa Amerika." But, will Bea ever find her way out of her existential quagmire, if and when she is presented with the opportunity for emancipation?

2006-09-28T07:11:00.000-04:00

NORA'S FESTIVAL

By: Patrick Flores As Published In The Philippine Daily Inquirer December 29, 1993

In one of her letters auctioned recently, Hollywood's recluse par excellence wrote: "I hate the California sunshine."

The sentiment, suffused with chic arrogance and steely dignity, can only evoke the legend woven around Greta Garbo's persona. It can also only soak the substance of tragedy more thoroughly: dreams do die and the sun sometimes cannot share the space even with the most stunning of stars.

The story of Nora Aunor has come to this. Her Cinderella fairy tale has unraveled down to its straggling thread. And the tragedy is more deeply felt now more than ever. The nostalgia for Nora's most flourishing seasons and the almost cultic devotion lavished on her by the most ardent of pilgrims simply, but not crudely, show that somehow Nora is history.

Or is it myth? The very same myth that the tumultuous lives of Gloria Swanson (as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard) and Michael Jackson have spawned and shaped. The very same myth that has wrought the faces of nameless destinies.

As if peculiar to her kind, Nora's life has thrived on as it has preyed on the most complex ironies: how she practically organized mass hysteria at the height of Martial Law, how her political and artistic sensibility sharpened as the Marcoses started to lose their wits, and how her glorious career faded into the sunset as the world turned against the Empire.

Once upon a time, she'd make a movie for maybe three or four days and her multitude would gobble up the gimmick with such passion. With picnic baskets in tow, they would leave their provinces and trek to the city to watch Nora's flick on its first day – all day long. Just as they would patiently wait for the cycle of sowing and reaping to take its course, so would Nora's legion of fans expectantly bear witness to their idol's unfolding and growing larger than life on screen.

We could go on and on talking about the phenomenon, tinkering with the thought that her fate (or is it karma) might have rehearsed the days of our lives: depression, triumph, abuse, corruption, wealth, capitulations, conspiracies, poverty, bad luck, blessings, bloody battles for custody and identity, strained relations with family and children, adventures with body and spirit, addiction to bad habits, apathy, ectopic pregnancies, failed marriages, separations, resounding returns, ominous visits, wayward flights.

Like all of us after a fall, she would always promise to bounce back only to time and again frustrate herself and her friends – both sincere and the mercenary – and buckle down in the face of hostile pressures and changing times.

And so, her failed experiments: In the 90s, Nora started to take up anti-establishment causes, even if people still remembered how she had regaled Marcos loyalists with a soulful rendition of Tina Turner's We Don't Need Another Hero in one of the more celebrated campaign sorties, and how EDSA revelers violently rejected the slippers she was tossing to them during those February vigils.

Still and all, she would star in an anti-bases stage play, sing for Jaime Tadeo's release, and perform worldwide the drama on the diaspora of women's labor. In other words, Nora would shift gears even if it was already too late in the day – something not at all unusual for someone who used to fritter away the imperatives of superstardom in favor of non-formula projects, unpopular gestures towards an ungrateful industry, and die- hard romances with lovers.

Many times in her helter-skelter history, Nora would go out of her way to do "something more" for the audiences who had made and unmade her, for the souls who had selected their own societies – and then shut the door.

And the doors have remained shut. For the past three years, the Superstar's films have been dismal disappointments, box-office wise and in the context of her excellent body of work. In fact, after her golden decades, she could only manage to do films for the Metro Manila Film Festival. Not so much as a Christmas choice, to be sure, but as a business move: only a State-sponsored festival can make sure that theater owners will show her films.

Nora was an NPA amazon in Andrea… Paano Ba Maging Isang Ina and a former japayuki who assists her daughter to die in Ang Totoong Buhay ni Pacita M. In 1992, she was filmless.

Without doubt, the underdog stereotype she has retained, in reel and real life. But her mater dolorosa martyrdom has ceased to serve merely as opium. For Nora's legendary eyes have ostensibly seen the darker, sadder realities being lived everyday by her fans who'd save whatever they could scrape just to watch her pursue their dreams. Nora Aunor cannot renege on her promise.

The era of film royalty, in spite of Regal Films, is over. In the wake of Nida and Gloria, Amalia and Susan, Nora and Vilma, Maricel and Sharon, a new and fierce rivalry has yet to challenge the star-struck imagination of the public. To this we say: The Queen is Dead, Long Live the Queen!

As the fantasia-mania for Nora Aunor, the biggest star and the most competent actress Philippine cinema has ever produced, turns paler and paler every day, vanishing into the mists of myths, our remembrances of turbulent things past, of which Nora was specter, flash not like lightning but like ambulance lights – relentless, nervous, desperate in their intimations of uncertainty.

Catch her today in Inay and love her to death – for sentimental reasons.

2006-09-24T18:55:00.000-04:00

THE POWER OF TWO

In May 2004, The Superstar embarked in a US Concert Tour with Pop Diva Kuh Ledesma in The Power Of Two. Their first show was held at the Nob Hill Masonic Center, so I flew to San Francisco and witnessed this once in lifetime event first hand! It was a great show. From the opening number where the two performers sang a medley of the Superstar's hit songs, this incredible concert was filled with unforgettable musical numbers, my most favorite was Ate Guy's rendition of the Ogie Alcasid composition Pangako followed by Hindi Kita Malilimutan which the Superstar dedicated to the artists' and close personal friends she's been with who have passed on. It was a truly emotional number. I cannot help but be moved when they showed pictures of the Superstar with the dearly departed actors and filmmakers in a video screen on stage. The loss was evident in those soulful eyes. Ate Guy's duets with the Pop Diva were just as engaging. From the lively Manila Sound Medley where they sang songs from the Superstar's movie musicals such as Annie Batungbakal, Bongga Ka Day! and Beh! Buti Nga! to their rendition of Ryan Cayabyab's Minsan, Ang Minahal Ay Ako from the musical Katy! It was night of great songs provided by two of the best voices the Philippine Music Industry has ever produced!

2006-09-23T10:08:00.000-04:00

THE SUPERSTAR LIVE IN BOSTON!

For the first time Superstar Nora Aunor performs live in Boston! Don't miss this totally different concert with Special Guest Fe de los Reyes featuring new songs arranged by musical director Norie Sayo . The show promises to be entirely different from the Superstar's previous live performances. For tickets and inquiries please call Grethel Bolandrina at (508) 476-0009. See you all there!

2006-09-19T07:04:00.000-04:00

THE SUPERSTAR'S TEN MOST MEMORABLE SCENES

1. Nora as Azun in NAKAW NA PAG-IBIG (Associated Entertainment Corporation, 1980) standing on the edge of a ravine. She is pregnant. Her face is clear. Azun imagines the possibilities of the place. The reflections, the romance and the possibility of murder. She looks at Robert (Phillip Salvador) the man beside her and suspects his motives. She panics and plunges to her death. The wide range of emotion she displayed during that scene from calm to hysteria can only be played out by a true artist whose talent is "pure instinct", according to Bernal.

2. Nora playing escaped convict Angela Aguilar in BULAKLAK SA CITY JAIL (Cherubim Films, 1984) giving birth alone at night inside a cage at the Manila Zoo. People find her. She cradles her newborn, holds on to it, protects it. Recall how she squints as flashlights blind her. This powerful primal image of giving birth is unequalled in film history. Nora was, at that moment, not human. She was a nocturnal animal giving birth in the dark.

3. Nora as Yolly, the flower vendor in CONDEMNED (NV Productions and Golden Dragon Films, International, 1984), locked in a battle of steely nerves against Connie (Gloria Romero), a crazed mobster matriarch over a bounty of dollar bills in Nora's possesion. Gloria taunts her. Fake 'yan!, she says. Nora remains calm. She burns the dollar bills one by one. Her eyes cold as she defies evil, Akala ko fake?

4. Nora as Babette, the unfavoured daughter in BAKIT BUGHAW ANG LANGIT? (Four Seasons Films, International, 1981). Three sequences capture her character's transformation, from quiet sufferance, to defiance and ultimate liberation.

1) Babette waters cactus plants with complete devotion. Recall the almost zen-like manner in which she performs this task, her only source of fortitude against her abusive family.

2) Babette is thrown out of the house. As neighbors struggle to hold her still, she hurls in pain one of the most memorable lines of Nora Aunor against her oppressors in Philippine cinema - in this case, her mother, a former actress (Anita Linda). Tama na ang pag-aartista! Matagal na kayong laos!, her delivery solid and crushing.

3) The family moves away and as the truck leaves, we see Babette across the street, wearing a t-shirt and a skirt and holding all her possessions in one small luggage. She is, finally, on her own.

5. HIMALA (Experimental Cinema Of The Philippines, 1982). Not the raved climactic scene where Nora as Elsa, the faith healer was fatally shot but the funeral scene. Her power begins to fail and children die one by one. Nora in black, attends the funerals, a white cloth wrapped around her forehead and a veil covering her head. One of the dead children's mother lunges at her and curses that she will go to hell. Recall how this jolts Nora, as if stabbed. And how she wailed. I remember reading an interview with actress Susan Valdez about that scene. "It was as if all the pain she went through in life was captured in that single moment…". True, like a dam that suddenly cracked and burst.

6. Nora, the fan in BONA (NV Productions, 1980). Two scenes.

1) After abandoning her family to serve her idol, Bona returns home to attend her father's wake. Clearly, she is unwanted. She walks to the coffin in fear. Bona presses her face to her late father's. Close-up of her final payments, her grief clenched tightly like a fist. A tear falls. Suddenly, her brother pulls her hair so violently, she gasps in shock, her momentary grief interrupted by a more painful assault. A mute sequence only La Aunor could give the unbearable weight it requires. Which brings me to the finale.

2) Betrayed by her idol, she seethes behind a pot of boiling water. If you want to see Nora at her most disturbing moment, when all hope is lost - recall how she stares blankly at the steam rising from the boiling pot, vengeance and madness darkly, quietly brewing.

7. In ATSAY (IAN Film Productions, 1978), Nora as Nelia de la Cruz, the maid is alone in the kitchen, she is going to eat her meal. She does not sit at the table. Nelia eats standing right next to the corner where she cooks and washes dishes. She does not use utensils. She uses her hand and eats a mouthful. She almost throws up. The food is spoiled. It does not revolt her. She does not get angry. If she is sorry for herself, we do not see it. As if it had to happen naturally once in a while. Classic.

8. In MINSAN, MAY ISANG INA (Regal Films, Inc., 1983), all hope is gone for Ruth (Nora Aunor) and she loses her sanity. In a burial, she cracks and regresses. She believes she is being abandoned. She clings to her younger sister and starts muttering Ate, sama mo na ako! Much has been said about the wide range of emotions Nora's eyes can convey but if you want to see her eyes dead, as if the soul itself had departed, watch her final scene at home where she stuffs her mouth with crumpled paper and then hangs herself.

9. Nora as Milagros Cruz, the nurse riding the New York subway train in 'MERIKA (Adrian Films, 1984). This scene was repeated several times in the film. It's not much. Nora simply stands in the crowd. She does not have to do anything. But the message is clear in her face: her life has no meaning; it is a pointless ride from one station to another. Nothing interests her. Director Gil Portes did the same thing for Vilma Santos in Miss X (1980) but the effect was laughable. Only Nora could portray displacement. Because she knew what it meant not to belong, she is a spirit that cannot be contained and will be forever be homeless.

10. The funny thing is the tenth most memorable Nora scene is a scene I cannot even remember although I have seen the movie. And Nora was barely in this particular scene. I am only including it here because of a story I heard. It was told that a long time ago Nick Joaquin was invited in a projection room to watch a private screening of MINSA'Y ISANG GAMU-GAMO (Premiere Productions, Inc., 1976). No, I'm not referring to the My brother is not a pig! scene. But in the same funeral scene, there is a brief close-up of Corazon's (Nora Aunor) mother (Gloria Sevilla), weeping. Nora's hand appears on the screen. Her hand grips her mother's shoulder. Off-camera, we hear Nora, Tama na Inay, Tama Na! When the screening was over, it was told Nick Joaquin ordered the projectionist to "Play that scene again!" This made me wonder. What is it about Nora that a hand, her eyes, a few words spoken - could hurt, enrage and comfort us, bring us to reflection and emerge from the theatre as if an epiphany has just occurred?

With Special Thanks To Willi Pascual

2006-09-17T15:44:00.000-04:00

BAKIT BUGHAW ANG LANGIT?

Noel Vera Reviews Mario O'Hara's Lost Masterpiece

(Please note: No print of this film is known to officially exist, even if it was made only twenty-four years ago, a sad commentary on the state of Film Preservation in the Philippines.)

Mario O'Hara's Bakit Bughaw ang Langit? (Why is the Sky Blue? 1981) opens by way of introduction with panoramic views of Manila. We see the arrival of Babette Gomez (Nora Aunor) at an apartment complex—or rather, the arrival of her family; movers unload a truckload of furniture and carry it into their newly rented apartment. O'Hara's camera watches as the family unpacks and settles in, and we come to know something about each by the way he or she acts within the camera frame--imperious Sofia (Anita Linda), bossing everyone around her; sullen Nardo (Mario Escudero), dutifully carrying out his wife's orders; beautiful Lorie, who barks like her mother, but at a lesser volume; quiet Babette, their other daughter, who hurries about doing most of the work along with the movers.

We meet the neighbors: Marta (Melly Mallari) who owns the "sari-sari" (grocery) store at the complex entrance; Cora (Alicia Alonzo) and her out-of-work husband Domeng (Rene Hawkins); Luring (Metring David) who sells clothes to neighbors as a sideline; Luring's son Bobby (Dennis Roldan), a mental cripple who likes to play basketball. Only Mang Jesus (Carpi Asturias), a courtly old gentleman, seems to notice Babette's plight; they talk about the little cacti she's raising, and she says something about them without any particular emphasis--that they flourish on very little care and water--that summarizes her life up to that point. Later, Luring offers Sofia some clothes, telling her story in the process--that she's raising Bobby by herself; that she's having a difficult time as she must work and can't bring her son along. Sofia has a proposal: instead of paying for the clothes, maybe Babette can go over every day and feed Bobby while Luring goes to work.

And so Babette finds herself with a plate of food at Luring's door, looking in (you think of young women in fairy tales peering into the monster's den, wondering at the silence). She finds Bobby upstairs, chained, sets the food before him; he sits hunched over the plate, eating with his fingers. Later, Babette asks Bobby for his basketball-- to clean it, she explains; Bobby gives it after some hesitation. For the first time in the picture, O'Hara cuts to a closeup— of Babette's face, then of Bobby's (before this, the film had been made up of long and medium shots). They have connected with each other.

I sketched the film's first third to give some idea of just how patiently O'Hara sets up the premise, building on detail after little detail, using a self-effacing, almost invisible storytelling style until before you know it an entire microcosm sits before you, the desires, needs, ambitions, and failures of its inhabitants glittering like so many constellations. This is Filipino drama at its most understated, where the yells and shrieks and chatter of the various characters fade into the background, and the relationship that forms between shy Babette and innocent Bobby takes center stage, simply and with little fuss. You could easily imagine the story being included in Dekalog, Krzysztof Kieslowski's ten-part housing development drama, only the characters speak Tagalog and the script (by Lydia Collantes Villegas and O'Hara) doesn't resort to the ironic twists or metaphysical in-jokes of Kieslowski's masterwork--it's life taken straight, no chaser.

Bakit Bughaw

doesn't have the overwhelming immediacy, the stench of street gutters found in perhaps the greatest Filipino film on urban realism, Lino Brocka's Maynila sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Manila in the Claws of Neon, 1975), but it does have a distinct look, consistent with its theme and sensibility. Almost the entire film takes place inside the apartment complex, a series of buildings surrounding a large central courtyard; O'Hara makes you feel the massive scale of the buildings, the way they dwarf and dominate their inhabitants. With Jose Batac, Jr. (who did Brocka's classic Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (You Were Judged and Found Wanting, 1974) as cinematographer, O'Hara achieves a kind of visual bleakness, an unspectacular glow that seeps not so much from sunlight but from naked fluorescent tubes, or brutal arc lamps. O'Hara uses this light to shoot against barred windows or concrete walls, giving you little sense of greenery or open space; the overall impression is of a claustrophobic enclosure—a prison, in fact, one you reach by walking through a dark corridor, the entrance to which is flanked on one side by Marta's "sari-sari" store (it's a measure of O'Hara's mastery of space that you eventually have a good idea of the complex's layout). When at one point Bobby evades Babette and runs out that corridor to the outside world, it's as if he's attempting an escape; Babette chasing him down is like a convict chasing a fellow convict--she does so out of fear of reprisal. When she finds him, their laughter is an expression of merriment at the absurdity of their shared situation.

It's not just the prison metaphor; every once in a while, the community has this little ritual they hold what I like to call "the court of public opinion," where some quarrel or scandal spills out of one apartment, and everyone else pours out of theirs to enjoy the show. When, say, Cora screams at Domeng for bringing home his mistress to live with them, or when a serial rapist roaming the outside streets claims a new victim and the men blame hapless Bobby, the people line up in a rough circle around the yelling combatants, everyone giving their opinions at the same time, at full volume. The case is ultimately worked out to everyone's satisfaction (the winners brag, the losers blame someone else--in Cora's case the mistress), both parties as a result often suffer the same penalties--derision, laughter, utter shame.

Against this remarkably complex social context Bobby and Babette grow close. We have been with them from the tentative beginnings of their relationship, so we know what they have between them--that their affection grew out of mutual loneliness, out of Bobby's need for a surrogate mother to love him and Babette's need to pour love on something other than little pots of cacti. At the same time, O'Hara makes us aware of what the people around them are like, and we flinch in dread at the prospect of their being publicly exposed. Gossip has already spread; a gay hairdresser accuses Babette of caring for the handsome Bobby because she can't find a man otherwise; Marta's no-good son is attracted to Babette, jealous of Bobby. Even we wonder at the relationship: is Babette tempted to take advantage of Bobby? Would it be so wrong if he responded?

O'Hara handles all the issues with tact and delicacy, knowing full well that a misstep could easily lead to bathos. He's helped in no small measure by a terrific cast (Anita Linda, Metring David, and Mario Escudero, to name but a few), most of all by Aunor and Roldan in the lead roles.

O'Hara considers Roldan the finest Filipino actor alive; in this picture it's easy to see why. He has a freshness and modesty that's impossible to fake, and a direct link with the audience that keeps them on his side, no matter what he does (when Babette at one point orders him to strip and he does so right in front of her, the scene is made funnier by the fact that he clearly has no idea what effect his nakedness has on Babette).

Aunor by this time had already been called one of the Philippines' best actress, and for far showier performances. In Bakit Bughaw, she takes her archetypal role--the oppressed, dark-skinned little Filipina--and plays it with a simplicity and lack of consciousness that is, in a word, astounding. It's as if she invented the character on the spot, as if the role was really her, and that she had never played anything else before (which, if you've seen Ikaw ay Akin (You Are Mine, 1978), Fe, Esperanza, Caridad (1974) and Ina Ka ng Anak Mo (You Are The Mother of Your Son, 1979) among many others, you know isn't true at all). Aunor matches O'Hara's immense patience, gathering detail after detail until her character is as believable as any real person--is more believable than any mere person. You feel as if you knew someone like this, that this was perhaps based on (for all you know) your next-door neighbor (and that is one of O'Hara's secrets--that his characters are always based on someone he knew or met in one of his daily walks about Manila). This film, of which officially there is no print left in existence, is one of Aunor's finest performances, one of O'Hara's best works, and one of the great unknown--perhaps lost--treasures of Philippine cinema.

2006-09-14T08:58:00.000-04:00

NORA AUNOR: THE QUEEN RETURNS

By: Blas F. Ople As Published In Panorama Magazine Windows Column January 7, 1996

Looking for a triumphal theme to highlight to positive for the new year, I found nothing very enticing or remarkable in the political scene; not even in the economic sector which has undoubtedly posted a modest upturn. Then I saw the newspaper photo of Nora Aunor holding the trophy for Best Actress in the Manila Filmfest awards night at the Philippine International Convention Center. I know then that my quest was ended. The triumphant story of the year was the strartling comeback of Nora Aunor, the darling of the Filipino masses.

She was written off as finished. She had no film in a long time. Her television show was unceremoniously scrapped. In her lovelife, she had endured betrayals, and she could feel the quiet contempt of those who thought her brilliant career had ended in disgrace. But Nora went on to collect herself, armored only by a touching faith in God, and she dazzled the nation by coming out Best Actress in the prestigious Cairo International Film Comepetition. The movie, The Flor Contemplacion Story, won the prize as Best Picture, prevailing over American, European and Egyptian entries.

Then came the Manila Filmfest. Nora had braced herself for losing to her friend Maricel Soriano, for how could such a long streack of blessings be sustained? But she still won the prize as Best Actress. Her movie, Muling Umawit Ang Puso (The Heart Learned To Sing Again) was adjudged Best Picture and its director Joel Lamangan, was Best Director, in addition to a whole passel of collateral prizes. Nora had won this trophy of Best Actress seven times before, more than enough to install her in any Hall Of Fame.

Nora may be a wisp of a woman, but she is all woman, and her type of beauty coincides with a historic break in the Filipino's Westernized stereotype of what is beautiful and true. The age of the Brown Madonna has arrived, and in filmdom, the willowy Spanish or American mestiza is no longer queen of all she surveys. It was as though the diminutive Bicolana beauty from Iriga has struck a mystical chord in her countrymen. People saw her as small, dark and beautiful and a lady of true grit besides.

I have known her only from afar (she came once to my birthday party in Hagonoy) but it is hard not to fall in love with Nora Aunor. She now defines for us the meaning of a true triumph of the spirit. No wonder she is much imitated bit never equalled. She has returned as, the song says, as Paraluman, Sa Kaharian Ng Pag-Ibig, Queen in the Kingdom of Love. May her countrymen emulate her example in indomitable hope, unparalleled resilience and a spirtual catharsis and transformation. Nora has become a symbol for us all, across the class divide, the uncrowned queen of of our affections.

With Special Thanks To Ken Gonzales

2006-09-12T18:17:00.000-04:00

THE THINGS WE DID LAST SUMMER

Two summers ago, the Superstar went to our house for dinner. They flew to the East Coast for the annual Philippine Fiesta celebration where Ate Guy was the featured performer. We decided to have Mario (Roxas) pick them up from La Guardia and bring them over to our place so they can all have dinner after their flight from Jacksonville, Florida. I left work early to tidy up before they arrived, while my dad cooked the food. In about half an hour, Mario called and told me that they were on their way. My instructions were to bring them straight to my house. As they got nearer, Mario kept on calling for directions, so I guided him all the way. When he told me that he was making the turn to our block, I rushed outside and saw him parking the van on our driveway. As the door opened, Ate Guy jumped off her seat, luckily, I caught her right away. I let them into the house and had them relax in the living room while I prepared the table. Her business manager, General Norie Sayo gave me a VCD copy of her Through The Years Concert at the Folk Arts Theater, which she promised. Then we all sat at the dining table and started eating. Ate Guy loved my dad's dinuguan as she ate a bowl full. Minutes later, Leonel came with his father and sister in tow followed by Marlon who met the Superstar for the first time. My mom who's the original Noranian in the family regailed Ate Guy with stories of how I would cut school just to watch her movies and that nobody can touch the television on Sunday nights for I'll be watching the Superstar Show. I also introduced my brother to Ate Guy and all he can say was Kumusta po kayo! he was dumbfounded 'coz he cannot believe that Nora Aunor was standing in front of him. My mom also told Ate Guy how we followed her teleserye Bituin, that we won't answer any calls between eight to eight thirty in the evening. I was just about to give the DVD copies of Ate Guy's movies to Albert when she asked if I have copy of Ibilanggo Si Neneng Magtanggol, I just popped the DVD in and we started watching the movie. She said Masyadong matagal ang exposition. Then Ate Guy followed it up with Legman kasi dati si Tito, referring to Tito Sanchez the films' director. I replied Talaga po? and she said Oo, tingnan mo nasa foreground lagi ang kamera. I always enjoyed listening to her stories about the actual experience of making a movie. Ate Guy asked if she won an award for the movie and we all said she did score the Davao Film Festival Best Actress Award for her performance. Apparently, she hasn't seen the movie at all. I even asked her why her role was relatively short in Bakya Mo Neneng which was odd after all she's the films' lead actress and she just said Nagseselos kasi si Erap kay Pip. This is what I love most about the Superstar. She may not say a lot but when she does, it's the in your face kind of response. Everytime she went out to smoke, Ate Guy always did the sign of the cross everytime she passed our altar. I actually picked up the cigarette butt that she threw and it's still in my bedroom closet inside a glass vial.

As we all bid goodnight, Ate Guy wanted us to go to their hotel but we told her it's late and we'll be there the next day. It was one summer I can never forget, the day that the Superstar graced our home.

That's my Mom with Ate Guy... Mario Roxas (on the phone), Leonel standing next to General Norie, Ate Guy seated next to Leonel's sister and his dad.

2006-09-10T07:02:00.000-04:00

BONA... PAMANA NI BROCKA

Shortly after the tragic death of famed director and National Artist for Film Lino Brocka in May, 1991, PTV-4 aired a show entitled Pamana Ni Brocka which showcased the late director's best films. Bona (NV Productions, 1980) was featured in the series hosted by Manunuri Mario Hernando, which included video interviews with Superstar Nora Aunor who also produced the critically acclaimed film and her co-stars Phillip Salvador, Marissa Delgado, Raquel Montessa, Nanding Josef and Spanky Manikan. Everyone reminisced about their experiences and the life lessons they all learned from the country's finest filmmaker. When asked what the Superstar learned from working with Brocka, she simply replied Sa pelikula, bawat galaw ng mata mo, may ibig sabihin. Isang kilos ng kamay mo, may ibig sabihin. 'Yun ang natutunan ko sa kanya. A simple answer from a great performer whose talent was greatly enhanced by working with a true actor's director.

2006-09-06T06:30:00.000-04:00

A SUPERLATIVE REVIEW OF NORA AUNOR'S PERFORMANCE IN KUNG AKO'Y IIWAN MO

Excerpt From KUNG AKO'Y IIWAN MO: The Film And The Controversy
By: Agustin "Hammy" Sotto As Pusblished In The Philippines Daily Express January 7, 1981 Pages 15-16

… Nora Aunor’s performance dazzles those knowledgeable in the craft, who would hail it along with her other performance in Bona and Nakaw na Pag-ibig as a landmark of sorts. 1980 is Nora Aunor’s year as she has delivered electrifying performances, rounded and lacking in mannerisms in a variety of roles. The stumbling block of Class A and B is now Philippines cinema’s most accomplished actress.

Nora Aunor’s performance has been criticized as "patingin-tingin lamang." This is precisely Ingmar Bergman’s contribution to world cinema—an understanding of how the face develops the plot and lights up inward emotions obscured by verbalization. The cult of the face is the very essence of close-up and the tradition dates back to Vivien Leigh’s "patingin-tingin" in Gone with the Wind, to Carl Dreyer’s The Passion of Jeanne D’Arc and to George Cukor’s films with Greta Garbo.

In Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo, Nora moves away from the fortune teller in the reincarnation scene, stops, and the camera picks up her troubled expression. Despite the flat acting of the extras (Bibsy Carballo, Romy Vitug, Armida Siguion Reyna), the timing is perfect and the audience understands for the first time her despair. There are many other exemplary uses of the close-up: Nora singing her two songs, Nora saying goodbye to Rollie Quizon after she discovers him to be cavorting with two women. In these instances, "patingin-tingin" is the perfect antidote to verbosity….

With Special Thanks To Nestor De Guzman

2006-09-05T05:47:00.000-04:00

NORA AND VILMA: APART AND TOGETHER

By: Nestor U. Torre

As Published In The Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2002

In the ‘70s and ‘80s, the big stellar rivalry I local show biz was between Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos. The two female superstars have had quite a history together, and their instructive relationship remains interesting to this day.

Child Star

In the ‘70s, Vilma had a head start because she first entered show biz as a child star. By the time she became a teen star and was competing head-on with Nora, Vilma was already an established name and crowd drawer.

And yet, the phenomenal Aunor quickly upstaged her. After Nora became the darling of the masses, Vilma had to cope with the harsh reality of playing second fiddle to the brash upstart who had captivated the nation with her golden voice, expressive eyes and volatile temperament.

In those days, it looked like Nora could do no wrong. Even if she made quickie films, they would win awards over Vilma’s better-executed starrers. After years of this unfair competition, Vilma decided to stop playing the also-ran, and opted to essay the roles that Nora preferred not to do---the other woman, rape victim, burlesque dancer, etc.

Vilma’s "sexy" movies were more suggestive than anything else, but they gave her a new screen persona that made her a distinct movie entity from Nora.

Fact is, Nora could also have played sensual characters, but she felt awkward doing so, and Vilma benefited from her reticence. In time, Vilma was also winning acting awards and starring in big hits, so the competition between her and Nora peaked.

Then, in the ‘80s, Nora’s personal problems affected her career, while the more professional Vilma became producers’ actress of choice. Nobody doubted Nora’s talent, but Vilma had talent "and" professionalism, so she soon streaked in front of her archrival.

No longer did she compete in areas where she was "dehado," like singing. Instead, she stressed her dancing ability, sensuality and versatility, and truly came into her own.

Political Phase

Then came the two rivals’ "political" phase, with Nora successfully boosting Joseph Estrada to the presidency while losing her own bid as governor. On the other hand, Vilma supported her husband’s bid for the senate "and" won as mayor of Lipa City. Even in politics, she showed she had the edge.

That’s where the two rival superstars are today. Vilma flying high, while Nora is still trying to get her act together for the nth time. We wager, however, that if Nora regains her focus and determination, she can still give Vilma and other female stars a run for their popularity and awards.

First Salvo

Nora’s new public service show on TV could be the first salvo in her current bid for recognition and respect in show biz. For her part, Vilma needs to give more importance to her acting career, which she’s tended to neglect in favor of her political obligations.

The interesting thing is, all these years, the two archrivals have actually gone beyond competitiveness, and have forged a solid friendship, even if is one between opposites. The competition has just given added excitement to their "joint" careers and motivated their respective fans to support them with greater zeal.

And both Nora and Vilma have become excellent actresses who still have a number of great performances left in them. May we see some of those memorable new portrayals on the big screen this year. Even better, Nora and Vilma should make another one of their infrequent films together. Now, that would be a great viewing experience that no local film buff would want to miss.

2006-09-02T14:53:00.000-04:00

SUPERSTARSTRUCK! SUPERSTAR SUPERSCENES PART FOUR

The fourth installment of the Superstarstruck series features a musical number from director Laurice Guillen's Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo (LEA Productions, 1980). In this Metro Manila Film Fest entry, Nora Aunor played Beatrice Alcala, a Superstar/Singer trying desperately to move on with her life after a bitter separation from her husband Nonoy Bernal (Christopher de Leon). This scene shows Beatrice singing a jazzed up version of the George Canseco classic Saan Ako Nagkamali? It showed Nora vamping it up like never before, a scene that required proper character motivation. We'll probably never, see her do this kind of performance in a film ever again.

Next, the Superstar as Banaue (NV Productions, 1975). In National Artist Gerry de Leon's last film, Banaue consumed with her desire to retrieve her father's head was captured by Aruk (Ronaldo Valdez) who lusts after her. In order for him to give back her father's severed head, he asks her to perform a tribal dance in front of his tribesmen. The humiliation and self pity was evident in this moving scene.

After hearing the court's decision regarding their case against the US Marine who fatally shot her brother (Eddie Villamayor) in Lupita A Concio's Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo (Premiere Productions, 1976), Corazon de la Cruz argues the judgement asking justice for her brother's untimely death. A gamut of emotions is registered on her face. The confusion, anger and rage is all there in this poignant scene. The epitome of an acting genius indeed!

2006-08-31T07:57:00.000-04:00

THE SUPERSTAR'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION IN ASAP!

This clip was from Ate Guy's birthday celebration in ASAP a couple of years ago. The Superstar guested in the show to promote The Power Of Two US Concert Tour with Pop Diva Kuh Ledesma. Here she's being serenaded by today's most popular love teams with songs from her most successful films. Enjoy!

2006-08-30T07:05:00.000-04:00

CANDID NORA

I love these pictures of Ate Guy when she's just plain having fun. I took this photo right after dinner and when I asked her to strike a pose, she did it the baklang-bakla way. This is not just your average pictorial session. It comes complete with stories about her career. I remember someone asking what her favorite movies are and she quickly answered Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos, Himala, Bona, Ina Ka Ng Anak Mo, Bakit Bughaw Ang Langit? Bilangin Ang Bituin Sa Langit and Pacita M. What about The Flor Contemplacion Story? someone muttered, Ate Guy just raised her eyebrows, he then said Ang taray! Ayaw ng Flor Contemplacion samantalang doon siya nanalo ng International Award! The Superstar also told us about the personal significance of Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos. She was having marriage and finacial troubles at the time. Ate Guy thought they won't be able to finish filming due to lack of funds. But her resourcefulness triumphed in the end. Alkitrang Dugo was a mild hit at the box office and she used the films' meager earnings to finish the movie. Lagi namang nagkakaroon ng problema pag nagpo-produce ako, she said. And the result was her triumphant win when she was named Best Actress by the Manunuri Ng Pelikulang Pilipino's very first Gawad URIAN and subsequently the FAMAS for her astounding performance in the Mario O'Hara masterpiece Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos.

2006-08-29T07:03:00.000-04:00

NV GARMENT

This picture was taken inside the Superstar' dressing room a couple of years ago during the second leg of her highly successful Power Of Two US Concert Tour with Pop Diva Kuh Ledesma in Virginia Beach. While Ate Guy was onstage rehearsing her number, I was asked to watch her personal effects while Albert (Sunga) attended to the Superstar's needs. I placed my camera on timer mode and took a photo of this stunning Nono Palmos creation she wore at the Manila Film Festival Awards Night when the Superstar was named Best Actress for the film Naglalayag. I also took a picture of Ate Guy's shoes. Look how small her feet are! It was one of those rare opportunities I had... watching over the Superstar's personal belongings.

2006-08-28T07:35:00.000-04:00

PERFORMANCES OF THE AGE

By Joel David

As Published From The National Pastime For Contemporary Philippine Cinema

Award-sweeping became the in thing, what with the addition of more and overlapping bodies to the already flourishing FAMAS, URIAN, MMFF, and CMMA to wit, the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) with its STAR Awards and the Film Academy Of The Philippines (FAP). Two of these, the FAP and the FAMAS, claim to be industry-based recognitions, although the FAP is more systematically organized according to guilds; this advantage of legitimacy also brings with it the disadvantage of the prevalence of popularity choices, just as between the URIAN and STAR, the former may comprise a number of serious critics, but the latter possesses the humility necessary for thoroughgoing review and evaluation processes

Despite the propensity of these groups, both collectively and as individual bodies, in setting records for favored artists, the outstanding performance of the period belongs to that of Nora Aunor in Himala, which was honored only by the Metro Manila Film Festival. Ms. Aunor had been possessed with a search for superior acting vehicles, and threw away a lot of her own money in the process, since in essence she mostly had to run against the preferences of her mass supporters. With Lino Brocka she made perceptible strides in ensuring her lead over the rest of the pack, particularly in Ina Ka Ng Anak Mo and Bona. But all that was really required of her was a project that had enough scope to demonstrate her far-reaching prowess, with a minimum of editorial manipulation. In Himala the director and writer seemed to have agreed to a mutual stand-off, thus amplifying the theatrical potential of an expansive locale with a protracted takes, stage-trained talents ensured the competent execution of histrionic stylizations, with the climax set on an open-air platform before a hysterical audience. It was a truly great actress' opportunity of a lifetime, and Nora Aunor seized it and made it not just her role, but her film as well.

Not since Anita Linda in Gerardo de Leon's Sisa (circa the First Golden Age Of Philippine Cinema) had there been such a felicitous exploitation by a performer of ideal filmaking conditions and in this instance, Himala has the decided advantage of being major-league and universal. Other consistent stand-outs during the period - and these would be formidable enough as they are demand to be taken in terms of body of work, not any individual movie. Vic Silayan for Ligaw Na Bulaklak, Kisapmata and Karnal, Gina Alajar for Brutal, Salome, Moral and Kapit Sa Patalim Bayan Ko and Nora Aunor for whatever title she appeared in during the eighties, regardless of budget, intention, or box-office result. Record-setters of this period, specifically Phillip Salvador, Nida Blanca, and Vilma Santos, deserve mention only for the skills and supreme good fortune necessary in attaining their respective feats. Among newcomers, only Jaclyn Jose of Private Show and Takaw Tukso seems to hold forth promise of an order comparable to most of those listed herein.

2006-08-25T07:14:00.000-04:00

NORA AUNOR: BEST ACTRESS OF 1982

The Best Of 1982

by Mina Paras

As Published In Parade Magazine January 19, 1983 Pages 4-7

This year’s bumper crop of movies plus the inspired performances of old reliables and even, surprisingly, from greenhorns in the trade, made the task of critics and observers of the local movie industry a little harder than usual. Parade asked five critics, a television host-producer, and a prize-winning novelist for their choices as the pick for 1982. Not surprisingly, the Parade panel disagreed in some categories and were unanimous in others.

Wilfrido Nolledo
Novelist, Screenwriter, Film Critic

Ding Nolledo belongs to the Scriptwriters Guild and so, for the past year, has confined himself to reviewing foreign movies. "For delicadeza," so he patiently explains, after having thought of choices for 1982 (which turned to be a list of imported films, a result of miscommunication).

Pressed for his opinions, though, he confesses to liking Himala "very much" but mentions that he hasn’t seen Oro Plata Mata. Himala, Ding justifies, because the film exudes "raw power," not to mention the excellent acting and the direction, which was like early Fellini, especially the middle part."

Ding doesn’t agree with Moral’s rave reviews because "I’ve seen Moral in about 369 other films." It’s not that original, he implies.

As for best actress, it’ll have to be Nora in Himala. "She reminds me of the young Anna Magnani. Besides, the script fitted her to a T. The role practically coincides with what she is in real life."

Mario Hernando
Film Critic

Best Films:

(in the order of preference)

Oro, Plata, Mata and Batch ’81

Relasyon and Himala

Moral

Best Directors:

(in no particular order)

Ishmael Bernal for Relasyon and Himala

Peque Gallaga for Oro Plata Mata

Mike de Leon for Batch ’81

Actresses:

Vilma Santos for Relasyon

Nora Aunor for Himala and Uod At Rosas

Sandy Andolong for Moral and Oro Plata Mata

Gina Alajar for Moral

Actors:

Mark Gil for Batch ’81 and Palipat-Lipat, Papalit-Palit

Joel Torre for Oro Plata Mata

Christopher de Leon for Relasyon

"Most movies are usually flawed, and those in my list are no exception. However, apart from the standard criteria I am applying to them (the classic from and content balance), I am giving much weight on impact and emotional power. So, my top two are Oro and Batch. Himala is an ambitious film and much flawed, but it has visual beauty and emotional wallop. Relasyon is more modest in scope, but I think is more successful on its own terms. Moral has many good things going for it, from direction and writing, to performances, but it does not match the four other films in impact (though it has some moving moments) and originality."

Hammy Sotto
Film Critic

Hammy Sotto, Manunuri, must have been inspired by the witching hour (translate that into 1:05 a.m., 11th hour as of presstime) so much so that he raves - and bewitching so - about his choices for the best of 1982.

Says Hammy on the phone: "I pick Oro Plata Mata as best film because it’s a landmark in Visayan dramaturgy. Never before has the carefree life of the sugar baron been so accurately and meticulously recorded on film.

"Peque Gallaga doesn’t pretend to any fixed ideology and the film can only be taken as a set of reminiscences of a ‘Golden Age’ forever gone. But Peque’s brilliant direction lifts the material above its nostalgia trip and makes out of it a vivid behavioral comment on the Saint/Beast known as the Filipino."

His other choice is Batch ’81. States Hammy: "The most interesting aspects of Batch ’81 are the invisible ones. On the surface the film tackles the initiation of aspiring neophytes into quasi-tribal fraternities. But Mike de Leon consciously or unconsciously imbues the action with so much double meaning, the gory initiation rites become a disturbing metaphor of our times.

"I don’t find particular merit in any actor or actress but I must make special mention of Ariosto Reyes as a supporting actor in Uod at Rosas wherein his facial gestures measured to the milliliter the abrupt descent into suicide."

Peque Gallaga as director turned out as a real surprise in Oro, Hammy claims. "This is the first film of Peque that I saw. He shows a very solid grasp of blocking and his camera angles were perfect." Hammy explains that "the first things I look for when I watch a movie is the blocking and positioning of camera because to me that reveals directorial command."

Hammy adds: "Peque was able to bring the movie to life with rich details culled from his own experience, which was not, could not have been, scripted. He gives it an energy that could only have come from experience and firsthand knowledge."

Celso Carunungan

Screenwriter, Novelist

Celso Carunungan makes it a point to see a movie once a month however busy he is serving on seven boards, just to "keep in touch."

He considers Himala the best choice for 1982 for a lot of reasons: "For one thing, I believe it has what’s been lacking in our movies for a long time—a good story. Lack of good materials, stereotype characters, and predictable plots have been plaguing the local movie scene for a long time, and most movies are strengthened only by bold scenes.

"Himala is beautiful in the sense that it’s never been done before and it’s honest. It reminds me of Biyaya Ng Lupa, a movie I wrote during the Sixties.

"To me, the acting of Nora is one of the highlights of the film. I didn’t expect her to act like that. She was very disciplined. There was no attempt to glamorize her and make her pretty. It was all honest.

"Dindo Fernado I consider the best actor in the land. It’s a pity that he’s never given a good vehicle.

"For the first time, I’m opening the subject: I’m doing the story for a movie on Rizal with Samuel Bronston (producer of El Cid, 55 Days in Peking) and of course, he’ll get an internationally famous actor-star for the title role but I want to have Dindo in the movie. I haven’t talked to him about the project yet, though.

"There is a kind of artistic integrity in Dindo that I don’t find in others. It comes from his confidence, his maturity.

"I think Ishmael Bernal is the best director and I’m looking forward to work with him. He is more sensitive and more poetic than the others."

Nestor Torre, Jr.
Film Critic

Nestor Torre gave a pretty little speech of apology for "Not having seen most of the movies shown the past year since I’ve been busy with my stage and theater productions, "but of the ones he’s seen, he qualifies, he finds Batch ’81 the best movie made in 1982.

"The movie had something very important to say and it communicated it very well." His choice of best director naturally ties in with his choice of film. "Mike de Leon did his job so well," he reiterates.

As for his choice of best actor, it’s Mark Gil, "unless I’ve forgotten somebody else." It’s Mark Gil because "he was perfect in that role as somebody who was waiting to discover the violence within him."

As for the best actress, it’s Nora Aunor in Himala. "It was a good role, and she communicated it very well. At least, Nora wasn’t api here for a change, It was quite a complicated role, but she handled it very well."

Other choices were Gina Alajar and Lorna Tolentino in Moral. "Gina was very good in Moral, and she would have been perfect, but the problem was her makeup and costume which made her look freakish in the movie. I mean, no one looks like that in real life." (Just for the record, this writer disagreed. Try Angeles City.)

Vilma Santos, Nestor notes, is admittedly a "very hard worker but her physical structure really makes it difficult for her to be really effective—hindi malalim—and her voice is not that expressive."

Nestor adds, though, that, once in a while, Vilma "transcends her physical limitations, as in Rubia Servios."

Behn Cervantes
Filmmaker, Film Critic

Behn’s choice for best movie of 1982 comes easy, with one qualification (he has not seen Oro, Plata, Mata). "It’s Batch ’81 because it was innovative and more daring. The technical aspect was also great. The cinematography was good and the film was very well edited. Everything in it was tightly woven in. Also, it’s the kind of film which leaves you gaping. I mean there are films which you can’t just watch and be satisfied with what you’ve seen. Batch ’81 is one such movie. You have to discuss it afterwards."

Behn puts Moral in second place "because it presented a contemporary view not only of women in society but society as a whole."

Behn’s third choice is Himala. "I enjoyed watching it. It had that certain texture, you know, the superimposition of the supernatural with the mundane. Further, it was a powerful reflection of capitalistic tendencies in society and of the materialistic greed that results from it."

For best actor, "it’s Mark Gil, especially in Batch ’81. While Christopher de Leon is also one of my favorites, being very good in Relasyon, Mark showed more guttered reaction in Batch ’81 than Christopher did in any movie. With Mark, it seemed to come from his guts."

As for the choice of best actress, "mahirap iyan," Behn admits spontaneously. "It’s a difficult choice between Gina Alajar in Moral and Nora Aunor in Himala. Gina was beautifully flamboyant and effective as the funky character in Moral, while Nora was very cinematic in Himala. Nora is one actress who knows how to use her medium.

"Vilma is also good. She knows her craft, but somehow, at the moment of truth, physically she doesn’t quite hit me. There’s something very cutesified about it.

"As for best director, it’s Mike de Leon, of course. For me, the best film should tie in with the best director."

Armida Siguion Reyna
Film Actress, Producer

Armida has said it in her TV show Let’s Talk Movies and she’s saying it again: her choice for best movie not only for the filmfest but for the entire 1982 is Moral.

"It’s very ‘today,’ NOW. You really get to identify with the characters in the movie. Like, in any case, there is a little of myself in each of the four characters, from Gina to Lorna and to Sandy and Anna. Technically, there’s a little flaw, but the camera work was adequate; bagay sa movie and that’s what counts. Editing is good, and the music, although nothing outstanding, was okay. Overall, the script and acting were very good, and for me, the story and direction carry the burden of the weight of the movie."

Certainly, Armida admits, the movie can still stand improvement, but she particularly rates Marilou Diaz Abaya, her choice for best director, for having been able to orchestrate the performers so well so that "you’re not aware anymore that they’re acting. You just get involved in the movie."

Armida adds: "Marilou knows her medium, and she enjoys the advantage of having her husband as editor of the movie. She also handles her actors very well, she can compete with… no, she equals Lino Brocka already."

After Moral, Armida chooses Oro, Plata, Mata and Cain At Abel, respectively, as among 1982’s best. She does not dislike Batch ’81, "it’s just that I don’t like those types of movies." To her, one has to be able to identify with the movie. "It’s also a kind of instinctive reaction. If I don’t like it, I don’t like it."

Armida chooses Vilma Santos as best actress for her performance in Relasyon. "I can’t explain my choice in the beautiful language of the Manunuri but I go by gut and alam kong maganda." She is also more inclined toward Vilma because the actress made a number of good movies last year.

For best actor, "I choose Mark Gil in Batch ’81 and Palipat-Lipat, Papalit-Palit and Katas Ng Langis. He was a revelation and he showed skill. He knows what tools to use, the techniques." Armida sort of disqualifies Christopher de Leon from the picking "simply because napaka-competent na ni Chris."

Wih Special Thanks To Nestor De Guzman

2006-08-23T20:32:00.000-04:00

SUPERSTARSTRUCK! SUPERSTAR SUPERSCENES PART THREE

In this edition of Superstar Superscenes, I've chosen to feature three of the Superstar's successful commercial films. These movies may not be in the same league as her great ones but they still showcased La Aunor at her finest.

First is a musical number from Mario O'Hara's Kastilyong Buhangin (Lotus Films, 1980). In this scene Nora plays Laura, a struggling singer on the verge of stardom as she performs the song Corner Of The Sky from the Musical Pippin. She sang the song with so much gusto and the result is one of the most memorable song numbers ever shot on film.

Next is from the box office hit Beloved (Viva Films, 1985) directed by Leroy Salvador. After learning the truth about her long time boyfriend Dindo's (Christopher de Leon) affair with her best friend Reneee (Hilda Koronel), Adora Bernal (Nora Aunor), unable to accept the infedility caused by the man she loves, unleashes the hurt and finally breaks down. A poignant scene, indeed!

The opening seqeunce in Lino Brocka's 1981 comedy Dalaga Si Misis, Binata Si Mister (PLG Films, International) has Singing Superstar Doria Navarro (Nora Aunor) belting out a medley of George Canseco hits. I can't help but be moved by this scene... she truly sings from the heart.

2006-08-22T18:45:00.000-04:00

TWO SUPERSTARS

I consider myself an extremely lucky person. It was fate that led me to Young Superstar Judy Ann Santos. She was in town over the weekend to headline this years' Philippine Fiesta at the Meadowlands Expo Center in Seacaucus, New Jersey. A week ago Judai was one of the featured performers at the US-Philippine Expo in Pomona, California with no less than Superstar Nora Aunor. It was sort of a reunion for the two stars. They were last seen on the big screen in the 1997 Metro Manila Film Fest entry Babae (GEM Communications) directed by Lupita A. Kashiwahara. Judy Ann Santos has been described as the next Nora Aunor. After spending the weekend with her, I can honestly say that she is the only young actress deserving to be the next Superstar. I've always liked Judai even more than Claudine Barreto whose career is being patterned after Ate Guy's archrival Vilma Santos. Come to think of it, Nora Aunor won her very first major acting award from the Gawad URIAN at age 23 for Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos in 1976 while Judy Ann Santos was adjudged Best Actress by the group in 2004 for Sabel at 26. The time I spent with her is reminiscent of my experiences with Ate Guy. Like the Superstar, Judai takes care of her family and attends to all their needs. The Young Superstar also had her share of ups and downs, maybe not the same level as Ate Guy's but Judai nevertheless surpassed all the trials she went throughout her career. I asked her if she still remembers playing the young Lotlot de Leon in Sana Mahalin Mo Ako (Regal Films, 1987) and Judai said she does. She told me that her role was cut short because she was growing up very fast for a nine year old and expanding her role would ruin the films' continuity. How was that possible? Even I was as confused as she is. I read in an article where Judai was asked Sino ka sa dalawa, si Nora o si Vilma? Bakit? and she answered Ang hirap naman sagutin kasi... Siguro kung pagbasehan na lang natin sa pelikula, si Claudine nakasama na si Ate Vi, ako nakasama ko na si Ate Guy, so doon na lang. Siguro ako si Ate Guy. One thing's for sure, Judai loves Ate Guy and most especially the Noranians.

2006-08-15T19:50:00.000-04:00

INSIDE THE SUPERSTAR'S HOTEL ROOM

After our sumptuos lunch at Ichebakama on 32nd St., we walked along Park Avenue en route to the Superstar's hotel. While we were walking, Ate Guy asked me if I remembered to bring the DVD's she was asking from me, I told her they're inside my backpack. When we got to the hotel, I saw that there's a DVD player inside the bedroom. I took a DVD and popped it into the player. As the disc played, I asked Ate Guy if she remembers which movie it was. It took her quite a while, she cannot remember the movie at all. I asked her Kilala mo po ba kung sino ang kasayaw ninyo?, the Superstar replied Ay oo! Si Lew! (Soratorio). Ate Guy asked me again, Ano'ng movie ito? I told her Basta po, panoorin ninyo. Before the credits rolled, she remembered and blurted out Ay, Roma Amor! Matagal ko nang hindi napapanood 'yan! She then continued and said Si Lito Lapid ang gumawa ng lahat ng stunts ko diyan sa pelikula. Hindi pa siya sikat noon! Ang linaw naman ng kopya mo. the Superstar told me. Saan mo nakuha 'yan? I replied and said Secret po! hindi po ako nagre-reveal ng source ko. Ate Guy also mentioned that she saw the movie's director Efren C. Pinon in L.A. recently. As we watched Roma Amor, she was suddenly saddened upon seeing his youngest brother Buboy (Eddie Villamayor), he played Pip's (Tirso Cruz III) brother in the film. Ate Guy also commented that the entire Villamayor family was all over the screen during the opening credit sequence. There were also several musical numbers in the movie. She mentioned that most of the songs she sang in the film were from her Superstar show. Ate Guy noticed that I was singing along and told her manager, General! Tingnan mo si Jojo, memoryado 'yung kanta. I said, Lahat naman po ng kanta ninyo sa pelikula, kabisado ko. It was very interesting listening to her stories. I gave her copies of movies which she produced under her own NV Productions. Aside from Roma Amor, I also gave Ate Guy copies of Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos, Alkitrang Dugo, Ibalik Ang Swerti!, Banaue, Annie Batungbakal, Tisoy!, Batu-Bato Sa Langit, Wanted Ded Or Alayb, Halimaw, Takot Ako Eh! and Tatlong Ina, Isang Anak.

That's the Superstar on the other bed while she was watching the movie.

2006-08-12T12:21:00.000-04:00

LA AUNOR... BEYOND TIME

In 1994, the Superstar embarked on yet another monumental event in her career. After the success of her first major concert Handog Ni Guy Live! at the Araneta Coliseum, Nora Aunor appeared in a series of lounge shows at the Captain's Bar of the Manila Mandarin Hotel. The show, produced by Girlie Rodis was entitled La Aunor... Beyond Time. It showcased the Superstar's multi-faceted talent as a singer and stage performer. In essesnce, this stint encompasses her previous triumph at the Araneta years earlier. Her repertoire is much different, after all she was performing at the Captain's Bar which is home to the likes of Kuh Ledesma, Zsa Zsa Padilla and even Pops Fernandez. Of course there are also familiar numbers which is expected from a show topbilled by Nora Aunor. Her guests included the incomparable Louie Reyes, screen partner Cocoy Laurel and the Side A Band. I love the Superstar's rendition of Foolish Heart which she sang with Side A. This particular number has to be seen to be believed. Asia's Songbird Regine Velasquez also graced the show and sang People with La Aunor. It's one very special duet afterwhich the Songbird proclaimed that Nora Aunor is her Idol!, truly memorable. It's the Superstar at her most sophisticated and classiest!

2006-08-11T06:11:00.000-04:00

A SUPER THANK YOU

This Thank You Card was given to me by Ate Guy a couple of years ago after her Virginia Beach stint with Pop Diva Kuh Ledesma during the second leg of their Power Of TwoUS Concert Series. Leonel, Marlon, Ray, Mario and myself all went to show our love and support for the Superstar. For me, it's truly one of those memorable experiences I shared with Ate Guy. The show needed a lot more help this time around. I eneded up taking control of the teleprompter while Leonel and Vonnel sang back-up with Fe de los Reyes. I was stationed at the coldest area of the stage and due to to excessive exhaustion, I got sick that night after the concert. Everyone went out to celebrate but I opted to stay in the hotel. As I tried to catch a bit of rest, I heard Ate Guy knocking at our room. I got up and opened the door for her. She had alcohol, a towellette, bottled water and Tylenol on hand. I cannot belive this is happening. The Superstar was taking care of me. She wiped my face with alcohol, tucked me in and never left my sight until I fell to sleep. I was just awakened by everyone when they got back from dinner. I told them what Ate Guy did and Albert told me Ginamot ka ni Elsa! It may be true. But the fact still remains that Nora Aunor nursed me to back to health. The next day as we prepared to drive back home, she told me to take good care of myself and asked Albert to give each of us a personalized Thank You Card from the Superstar. While on the road, Ate Guy texted us an emotional thank you. She apologized for not personally saying goodbye to all of us because she didn't want to see us leave. We all understood how she felt. That was the last time we saw the Superstar but we still kept in constant contact with her.

2006-08-10T20:19:00.000-04:00

SUPERSTAR SUPERSCENES PART TWO

Here's the second installment of my most favorite scenes from Nora Aunor movies. First is the funeral scene in Lino Brocka's Bona (NV Productions, 1980). In this scene Bona (Nora Aunor) goes back home to pay respects to her recently deceased father (Venchito Galvez) where she was beaten up and publicly humilated by her angry brother (Spanky Manikan). Nora shines in this particular scene as she showed multiple emotions at the same time that of shock, terror and anguish. A great scene!

Second is yet another funeral scene in Ishmael Bernal's Himala (Experimental Cinema Of The Philippines, 1982). After the death of Sepa's (Amable Quiambao) children and Chayong's (Laura Centeno) apparent suicide, the entire town of Barrio Cupang mourns the loss of their townsfolk. During the funeral, the village idiot accuses Elsa (Nora Aunor) of her infant daughter's death as Elsa starts to breakdown. A moving and affecting performance from La Aunor.

Third is from Mario O'Hara's Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos (NV Productions, 1976). Rosario (Nora Aunor) unable to accept her newborn son since her pregnancy was caused by Masugi's (Christopher de Leon) sexual advances she then tries to kill her child by attempting to throw the infant off a bridge. The camera slowly closes in on Rosario's face to show the anger, confusion and the rage. All these emotions showed in one facial expression. Simply amazing!

2006-08-09T06:08:00.000-04:00

THE SUPERSTAR'S TWO FILMS

As I rummaged through my movie memorabilia, I came across these still photos from two of my most favorite Nora Aunor movies. The Superstar only did two films in 1983. Her cameo appearance in Bad Bananas Sa Puting Tabing (Vanguard Films) which was enetered in that year's Metro Manila Film Festival and Maryo J. de los Reyes' underrated film Minsan May Isang Ina (Regal Films) which was shown earlier as the film outfit's annual Mother's Day presentation. Nora Aunor co-starred with dramatic great Charito Solis and Maricel Soriano. I saw this film several times in the theaters. The Superstar played Ruth, a young submissive wife who is trapped in an unhappy marriage with Allan (Bembol Roco). This scene shows Ruth slowly losing her sanity. Another triumph for the Superstar. The film was suffered severe cuts from the censors when it was shown theatrically. I was glad to have seen the complete version on video years later with the rape scene intact. It was a crucial scene to Ruth's ultimate breakdown. Nora Aunor's performance was cited by the Manunuri Ng Pelikulang Pilipino and garnered a FAMAS nomination.

The Manila Zoo childbirth sequence in the Mario O'Hara masterpiece Bulaklak Sa City Jail (Cherubim Films, 1984) maybe a bit too theatrical according to some critics, but is the single most powerful scene in Philippine Cinema. Once again Nora Aunor's brilliance is in full display here. As Angela Aguilar was being hunted by the police, she desperately hides in a place surrounded by savage beasts. She has nowhere to go. Finally giving birth inside an empty cage, Angela pleads for her newborn child. The anguish and despair, all these emotions registered in one facial expression. For her sterling performance in Bulaklak Sa City Jail the Superstar was named that year's Best Actress at the Metro Manila Film Festival, the Catholic Mass Media Awards and the FAMAS.

2006-08-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

THE SUPERSTAR TALKS ABOUT TWO BRILLIANT FILIPINO FILMMAKERS

Feeling invigorated after lunch, Ate Guy started talking Mario O'Hara, one of her favorite filmmakers. She mentioned a reunion project with the director entitled Sakay Tayo Sa Buwan awaiting the Superstar's return to the Philippines. Ate Guy was also looking for a clear copy of Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos, her first film with O'Hara. She asked me if I had one and I told her I do have a clear copy of the movie which I gave the following day. The Superstar said that there was a little competition between O'Hara and the late National Artist Lino Brocka when it comes to her winning awards. Ate Guy said Kapag nanalo ako ng award kay Mario, gusto ni Lino manalo din ako sa movie niya! Come to think of it, she won her first major acting award in 1976 and in between those years, Ate Guy never made a movie with O'Hara until Kastilyong Buhangin in 1980. On the other hand Brocka's first collaboration with the Superstar was in 1979's Ina Ka Ng Anak Mo. She was probably talking about winning the URIAN for Bona and the following year being chosen Best Actress by the Catholic Mass Media Awards the following year for Bakit Bughaw Ang Langit? It's interesting to note that Mario O'Hara started his career with Lino Brocka most memorable of which is Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (1974). According to film critic Noel Vera, Ate Guy first offered Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos to Brocka and the director's response was I don't want to have anything to do with that Superstar! His refusal to take on the project was the beginning of Philippine Cinema's greatest collaborations.

Here's a breakdown of the acting awards the Superstar won for these two brilliant filmmakers:

Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos (1976) - URIAN, FAMAS
Bakit Bughaw Ang Langit? (1981) - Catholic Mass Media Awards
Bulaklak Sa City Jail (1984) - Metro Manila Film Festival, FAMAS, Catholic Mass Media Awards

Ina Ka Ng Anak Mo (1979) - Metro Manila Film Festival, FAMAS
Bona (1980) - URIAN

2006-08-07T19:54:00.000-04:00

ANG KILABOT NG MGA KOLEHIYALA WITH THE SUPERSTAR

First it was Victor Wood in As Long As There's Music (1974), followed by Rico J. Puno in Disco Baby (1977) then later the same year the Superstar co-starred with the original Kilabot Ng Mga Kolehiyala, Hajji Alejandro in Panakip-Butas, based on a hit song pupularized by the singer in the mid 70's. I remember watching the movie at Cinema 21 in Cubao with my uncle. During the screening there were lots of young women seated at the theater's balcony section swooning over Hajji, but I was there mainly to see the Superstar. Trixia Gomez and Brenda del Rio played his girlfriends while Sandy Garcia was his trusted confidante. Once again, Nora Aunor's comedic talents are on full display here. She's one of those actresses who can be highly effective in comic situations. There was also an abundance of song numbers here. Since Hajji played the role of a singer, all he did in the movie was sing his heart out. There was very little acting involved here. Even the Superstar gets to sing a couple of songs like Minahal Kita, a tagalog version of What I Did For Love and Iniibig Kita, both songs were from her album of the same title. As far as I know, Hajji Alejandro never made a movie after Panakip-Butas. This Regal produced movie was directed by Romy Suzara from a script by Toto Belano. It's one of those films where a fast rising singer tries his hand at making movies and is paired with a hugely popular actress. It may not have created the same following as the Superstar's team-up with Rico J. Puno but Panakip-Butas will always be remembered as the film that launched Hajji Alejandro's movie career.

2006-08-06T13:49:00.000-04:00

THE SUPERSTAR AND HER LEADING MEN

Looking back at most of Nora Aunor's films, I came to realize that there were a number of movies that the Superstar made with actors which I wouldn't have thought she'll have great chemistry with on screen Aside from the obvious choices, perennial screen partner Tirso Cruz III, drama king Christopher de Leon, comedy king Dolphy, action star Joseph Estrada and actor Jay Ilagan, there were male stars that I would never have imagined starring in a movie opposite the Superstar. For instance, when she was paired with 70's screen God Orestes Ojeda in 1978's Huwag Hamakin Hostess, I never thought that the two of them would look perfect together, but to my surprise they did! Their pairing was quite unexpected and not a lot of moviegoers went to catch the movie when it was shown in theaters but this Joey Gosiengfiao directed movie is worth a second look. A bit of warning, Nora's voice was dubbed by someone else and was a little distracting but otherwise, Huwag Hamakin Hostess is pure unadulterated fun.

When Vilma Santos was paired with Phillip Salvador in Rubia Servios (1978), I looked forward to the possibility of the actor teaming up with the Superstar in a movie. This came true when they made Nakaw Na Pag-Ibig in 1980 under Lino Brocka's direction. I was shocked to see the Superstar seducing Robert, Phillip's character in the film. Nora was never known for having done scenes similar to this one but she succeeded with flying colors. Her long quiet glances which conveyed sexual charisma was just the perfect emotion for this particular scene. Another actor known for his movies with the Superstar's archrival was Eddie Rodriguez. In the only film they did together, 1977's Pag-Ibig Ko'y Awitin Mo, I was astonished by their onscreen chemistry! Their's was a different kind of team-up and is surely not to be compared with his film outings with Vilma Santos.

While the Superstar's pairing with then matinee idol Gabby Concepcion in the comedy Totoo Ba Ang Tsismis? (1980) was unexpected, the two actors looked extremely comfortable working in front of the camera. Adding to the movie's kilig factor was a scene where Cora Afable, the nurse taking care of mental patient Gabriel Araneta helps him take a shower in one of the film's key scenes. Once again, this only happens in Nora Aunor films. Fans were excited to have seen them together on the big screen. Moviegoers went in droves to watch the movie making it one of Regal Films' biggest hits. Director Maryo J. de los Reyes who was responsible for the success of this movie did the impossible twenty four years later when he paired rising young actor Yul Servo with the Superstar in the May-December film Naglalayag (2004). In the movie Nora played a Dorinda, a menopausal Judge who got smitten with Noah, a young taxi driver almost half her age. The onscreen chemistry was evident in their first scene together which took place one rainy night. One would believe that they're truly in love with each other.

Of course who can forget the movies she made with Ronald Corveau (Atsay, 1978), Mat Ranillo III (Palengke Queen, 1982), Bembol Roco ('Merika, 1984), Miguel Rodriguez (Tatlong Ina Isang Anak, 1987) and Ronaldo Valdez (Banaue, 1975). But one of those special pairings was with Tommy Abuel in Danny Zialcita's T-Bird At Ako (1982). With both actors playing lawyers in the film, Nora matched Tommy's fire in the courtroom scene. A perfect example of great acting! The scene has to be seen to be believed.

As I continue re-visiting the Superstar's films, I'll post more thoughts on her movies with different leading men. It truly inspires me to take a closer look at her films' that made a huge impact in Philippine Cinema.

2006-08-05T17:37:00.000-04:00

SEXUALITY AND THE SUPERSTAR

For the most part of Nora Aunor's career no one has ever dared to write about sexuality in her films. Unlike archrival Vilma Santos, the Superstar has never dared to venture in movies that dealt primarily with sex. Upon watching some of her films, I came across a select few that openly showed her character's sexualtity. Case in point, while I was watching the complete version of Ishmael Bernal's Ikaw Ay Akin (Tagalog Ilang-Ilang Productions, 1978), I suddenly realized that in every intimate scene she performs in any of her movies there's this sensuality that she generates on screen. Sexy doesn't necessarily mean naked, she barely was in the scene. In the back of my mind, I've always thought that maybe the Superstar's hesitation to do such scenes is just plain awkwardness. There's a possibilty that she might feel uncomfortable undressing in front of the camera.

In that one tender moment between Tere and Rex (Christopher de Leon), their sexual tension exploded on screen. It was one long take and the camera was positioned in such a way where the viewers weren't mere voyuers. The scene had the two of them in close-ups during this act of lovemaking. They were consenting adults who, after five years of being together finally consumated their relationship. It was sensual but nevertheless affecting. Much thought was put into the filming of this sequence. With Bernal's guiding hand, he was able to create one of the most sexually charged scenes in Philippine Cinema which required no nudity.

2006-08-03T06:42:00.000-04:00

Brilliant dementia, harrowing despair. Nora Aunor brings magnificent emotional power as the put-upon fan in Bona, the 1980 film which she produced herself.

A NATIVE RETURNS
By Tito Valiente
Business Mirror, August 3, 2006

At the lobby of Studio 1 of ABS-CBN, a table draped in a wide swath of cloth cradled flowers. Around it were posters of a film copied from old newspapers. A man in business clothes was standing still beside one of the photos. That was the closest they could get near the horizon of a person called Nora Aunor. That night, a copy of "Bona," the movie produced by Aunor and directed by Lino Brocka was going to be screened, the copy provided by Cinematheque Française, a film institution in France that archives excellent cinema. ("Bona" will have its cable television premiere in the Sunday Cine Premiere block of Cinema One on August 20 at 8 pm.)

As with the other guests filing in, people were there with similar purposes. There were the young cineastes who may have read the reviews of "Bona" in various film journals and web sites and blogs, for Bona is one of the most dissected Filipino films. These people may have cited the film as one of their favorite works even if they had not seen it previous to this evening. The sheer presence of the film in the minds and essays of writers and critics was enough to convince them that they were dealing with a work that was benchmarked and graded according to accepted international aesthetics. But there were also middle-aged men moving as one, looking like pilgrims about to approach the inner sanctum of the shrine. They were so quiet that you could feel through their movements the grace of many a Nora Aunor cinematic outings. These are people who could utter word for word, grand inflection for grand inflection, the dialogues that their idol—in the sense of worship and reverence—gave voice to on the silver screen.

It was not merely a voice coming from a body. Nora’s voice in many films, including those that were sinfully trivial and fun, slithered and sauntered out of the screen and into the domain of the popular, the populist, the political. The lines, as well as the characters, from which those meanings sprung transcended the instrument of cinema and became part of the collective yearnings of a mass audience who saw in Aunor not just an actor but someone equipped with a divining rod that could trace the fault lines of a group of people even as it would direct them to the wellspring of their neurosis and salvation.

Aunor’s much-documented celebrity was going to go through a reassessment that night, to check if the books—and essays and poetry—written about her icon were really truthful valuation of her person and her genius and not simply the ranting of academics trying out new theories about popular culture.

Seated as I was at the orchestra, surrounded by fans, I could sense the undertow of nervousness in those faces upturned to the screen; there was also sadness and longing. Most of the people there, I believe, were perched at the edge of their seats, the gurgling in their hearts pushing them almost to the edge of a sweetly welcomed nervous breakdown. Again that night, some simply ceased to be film viewers and moved on to be witnesses of an apparition.

A History Of Tastes

The metaphor of the sacred, the discourse of power, and the narrative of dispossession apply to the audiences of "Bona" as well as to the film. The film opens with the male-dominated procession of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo. Men are throwing their shirts and towels onto the carriage of the Christ icon, to be wiped against the body of the icon. Then the face of Aunor, as Bona, is shown, lost in the crowd, but not lost in the ritual.

The next scenes bring us to what preoccupies "Bona" (other than a religion in display). She is seduced by another faith, as she displays to us an almost reverential and awe-stricken admiration for a bit-player, Gardo. Critics use the word "obsession" to process the relationship that brings Bona to Gardo. But viewing the film again gives us other words. Like irrationality. Like lust and love.

You know, of course, the story. How, one night, Gardo comes home and tells Bona that he is leaving for abroad, and she should just go home. Then how Bona looks at the boiling pot of water. And the rest is cinematic history.

Part of this history is that "Bona" the film and Aunor as Bona have become guideposts for the evolution of film-viewing and re-viewing in the Philippines. Go and run to the nearest library and catch the writeups of that period, when Bona was first screened commercially, and you will see how so much of the appreciation of the film went beyond and behind the cinema. Reporters then wrote how Aunor had to produce the film to convince people that she could act. And yet, Bona was produced in 1980, a full three years after Aunor thundered through the screen in "Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos", and went on to win the Urian for Best Actress that year.

The screening answers many questions but also opens up many more. Given how the screenplay displays an almost reckless disregard for coherence, one could ask now if Brocka really enjoyed Aunor in the film. The film looks like it is meant to showcase another talent, that of Phillip Salvador, thus bringing some critics to describe the film as his film. One could even wonder why Brocka and the writer chose a bit player as the object of Bona’s adoration. This preoccupation with Salvador, however, becomes the bane of the movie.

At the end, Bona is indeed Nora Aunor’s work. Bona is Aunor looking, with a bit of melodrama and masochism, how she, an unknown, has become the object of many people’s adoration, the actor becoming the icon.

The power of the tragedienne/icon in Aunor is that she is able to weave a character into a full functioning tapestry of nerves and magic. Even then, you cannot blame those who genuflect before her when they cite the many gems in Bona. There is Aunor running away from her father, the speed of her escape as frantic and funny as it was demented. Aunor looking from the fence into her home where the wake for her father is taking place, fear and love and anxiety etched in a shot that merely shows one half of her face.
Aunor peeking from the kitchen, tension personified, the rigid figure melting into the loneliest of embraces with her mother, played with brittle tenderness by Rustica Carpio. Then, there is that scene—when she throws the boiling caldron of water onto Gardo’s body, the wretchedness on her face a troubling chemistry of dementia and despair, and a rage that seems to travel from her scarred soul, in a nuanced form that only Aunor could summon.

You can look for more, but at the end, there is one lesson: Nora Aunor is second to none and no one follows after her. Not yet, anyway. I knew this when I stepped out of the Studio One into the lobby once more. The table that held the flowers was shrouded in black, more like in mourning for the passing of good films that we used to make, and for an actor like Aunor, whose genius might as well be dead in our dreary landscape of commercialism and bad taste.

2006-08-02T06:48:00.000-04:00

THE SUPERSTAR... Past And Present
By Gerard Ramos
Business Mirror August 2, 2006

I would have wanted to continue from my recollection last week of the great artist that is Nora Aunor by starting this piece with a meditation on Bona, her third and last collaboration with the director Lino Brocka which was originally released in 1980, and which showcases what is widely regarded as one of the two most magnificent performances by an artist whose filmography is marked by many brilliant performances that remain without peer. (The other one is, of course, in the Ishmael Bernal classic Himala, released in 1982.) However, film and media critic and BusinessMirror columnist Tito Valiente had the privilege of witnessing the recent "homecoming" of Bona, which was financed and produced by Nora’s NV Productions but remained until recently in the property of the French, and thus would be in a better position to ruminate on the film and the awesome power that Nora brings to it beyond the confines of her titular character. He recasts the film in his column tomorrow.

That Bona has come home after more than two decades of being "lost" through questionable circumstances should be cause for celebration—certainly for Noranians, which remain legion and loyal, once more to be richly rewarded for their fidelity by a new viewing of The Superstar’s bravura portrayal of the stereotypical dakilang alalay.

It is, however, a temporary palliative to the profound sense of loss shared by Nora’s fans here, having lost this great artist to the US, which she has chosen as her base over the past few years.

The sense of loss has become even more acute in the face of the utter bankruptcy of anything remotely genuine—emotionally, intellectually—in the current output of the mainstream film and television industries. Long gone are the days when even the guilty pleasure of watching entertainment television seemed not so guilty as Nora, along with her cohorts in Ang Makulay na Daigdig ni Nora on RPN, Nora on ABC and Star Drama Presents Nora on ABS-CBN, usually succeeded in infusing the soap operatic inclinations of the drama anthology genre with glimmers of profound truths about us as a people and as a society. These days, what we get in lieu of the kind of dramatic heft that provides moments of self-reflection are a lot of screaming and plenty of heaving bosoms from Angel Locsin, usually an affecting young actress who seems short-circuited by the utter banality of her top-rating fantaserye Majika on GMA, and her costar Katrina Halili, whose skills beyond keeping her mouth in a perpetual grimace remain totally missing in action.

The situation, unfortunately, is no better in films, with filmmakers already beleaguered ostensibly by the unimpeded flow of foreign products, which is their common and usual complaint, although the movie industry’s greed and shortsightedness have contributed to their misery in no small measure. Consider the current offering of Star Cinema, Sukob, which—for all the valiant efforts of main stars Kris Aquino and Claudine Barretto to inform the proceedings with emotional weight—is ultimately stripped of that clammy sense of dread as it ridiculously mixes local folklore with the staples of Japanese horror films. For more interesting pieces of cinema, you now have to go to independent filmmakers, which Nora Aunor may as well have been back then when she bet her own money on projects, 1975’s Banaue, 1977’s Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos and 1978’s Atsay, to name a few, that would’ve been a tough sell were it not for the fact that they were headlined by Nora herself, for whom the title "Superstar" was coined for reasons beyond reproach.

Of course, it may be argued that Nora Aunor has become irrelevant in the current landscape of popular culture, and her detractors no doubt will be quick to cite as proof her own decision to relocate to the US, where her public continues to be most supportive and appreciative of her craft.

Then again, that irrelevance would be a damning reflection of the vacuity of our own lives where we no longer care to wrestle with the ugly truths regarding ourselves and our place in society, rather than an indictment of Nora Aunor and her artistry.

Some minor corrections on the article:

Bona was not the last Nora Aunor-Lino Brocka collaboration, they did the film Dalaga Si Misis, Binata Si Mister together in 1981.

Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos was released in 1976, and Atsay was produced by Romy Ching's IAN Film Productions

2006-07-31T07:43:00.000-04:00

A SUPER REUNION

Since Ate Guy will be in town for the weekend, I told Vincent Nebrida to let Fiel Zabat know that the Superstar is in the city. After dinner, Mama Fiel (as she is fondly called) came to the hotel and once Ate Guy saw her she rushed by her side and gave Mama Fiel a great big hug. It was quite a nostalgic reunion for the two of them. They haven't seen or even talked to each other for over twenty years. They made quite a string of memorable films together. Fiel Zabat did amazing production design in Annie Batungbakal (1979), her very first film with the Superstar followed by Bongga Ka Day! (1980), Kastilyong Buhangin (1980) Mama Fiel's personal favorite, Bakit Bughaw Ang Langit? (1981), Ibalik Ang Swerti! (1981), Totoo Ba Ang Tsismis? (1981) and Rock & Roll (1981).

Mama Fiel has a lot of fond memories working with the Superstar. Most of them were funfilled moments. I even asked if Ate Guy gave her any headaches during their shoot and she said very seldom but both of them managed to work it out amongst themselves. Mama Fiel started spilling the beans when she told us how much the Superstar hated rehearsing her dance numbers, then Ate Guy retaliated by saying how awkward she felt when she's dancing. During the last shooting day for Bongga Ka Day! in Olongapo they were supposed to film the last dance sequence when Ate Guy complained of a stomach ache and told everyone she couldn't dance. So direk Maryo packed up the set and the entire cast and crew decided to go out and drink. At about midnight, Ate Guy felt better and told Mama Fiel to let direk Maryo know that she's ready to shoot. They asked her why now? She told them Nakakahiya naman kay Nacy (Nocum), the film's producer last shooting day na di ba? With the entire cast drunk, they proceeded and shot the final dance sequence. I asked if it was the Cha-cha number where Ate Guy was wearing the red dress and Mama Fiel winked at me. So there...

2006-07-30T08:40:00.000-04:00

AS THE SUPERSTAR TAKES CENTER STAGE

The Superstar was supposed to be the last performer on stage at the event. For some reason, she asked comedian Willie Nepomuceno if she could go ahead of him. Immediately after crooner Anthony Castelo's number, he introduced the Philippines' One And Only Superstar, Ms. Nora Aunor and this diminutive star takes center stage and started singing a medley of her 70's hits. The audience started screaming and running towards the stage. It's like deja vu! I cannot believe I'm experiencing this all over again! I've been a witness to this several times now but it's a totally different one each time. When fans went up the stage while she was singing, Ate Guy the trooper that she is accomodated everyone but was still focused on he number. I really have no idea how she does it. Backstage she was complaining of a toothache but when she started singing, just like magic there she was doing what she does best, performing for the audience.

After her first number, she addressed all the producers to help one another instead of putting each other down. There have been problems with competing shows but Ate Guy really felt bad for the first time event organizers that she wanted everyone to put all their differences aside, that there's a huge audience out there for everyone to share. She then proceeded and sang a heartfet rendition of Saan Ka Man Naroon. Before singing her last number, Ate Guy invited selected fans to join her on stage. It was one riotous moment. They all acted goofy in front of her. She then thanked the producers of the show, me, Leonel and Marlon. I was standing on the side of the stage, Ate Guy went completely blank and forgot my name! But she remembered it right away, after someone yelled it out. For her finale, she sang her Annie Batungbakal Medley. She joined the audience and once again, like moths to a flame everyone rushed to her side to take pictures and give her hugs and kisses. Vincent Nebrida told me after the performance that the entire place came to life the moment Nora Aunor stepped on stage. Most of the people I talked with complimented the Superstar on how great she looks. Ate Guy has never been better! Watch out she's about to surprise her followers once again!

2006-07-29T07:11:00.000-04:00

A SUPER DAY WITH THE SUPERSTAR

After dropping her off at their hotel in downtown Manhattan, Ate Guy asked Leonel and I to have lunch with them the following day. We both took off from work yesterday and met with them around noon. While walking on the way to their hotel I texted her business manager, to let them know that we were just a block away. It was quite a tiring walk what with the sweltering heat. We sat at the hotel lobby and in a matter of minutes there they were stepping out of the elevator. The Superstar was in high spirits that afternoon. She never ceases to amaze me. We asked her what she wanted to eat and said Japanese na lang. Since we were along Park Avenue, Leonel recommended this exquisite Japanese Restaurant on 32nd St. I walked with Ate Guy while Leonel was talking with Kuya Norie.

While seated comfortably at the restaurant, Ate Guy called Albert Sunga, her closet confidante and a trusted friend. While the theree of us were ordering, by the way she had Shrimp Teriyaki, the Superstar handed me her phone, I spoke to Albert and he told me how envious he was, then I gave the phone back to her and she proceeded with her conversation. After a couple of minutes she gave it to Leonel. They talked for a short while then handed it back to her. As we were having lunch, Ate Guy said she hopes people would come in droves for tomorrow's event to help the organizers. She knows how difficult it is to put up a show like this one especially for first time producers. After lunch we walked along Park Avenue and took more pictures. It seemed like I wasn't spending time with a Superstar. She treats us like family. But I'm still trying to get her to sign my poster of Andrea, Paano Ba Ang Maging Isang Ina? (MRN Films, 1990). She said she'll think about it...

2006-07-27T23:59:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK WELCOMES THE SUPERSTAR!

We had quite a hectic day. Finally, the Superstar arrived in the Big Apple at 6:50pm from Las Vegas. According to her manager General Norie Sayo, their flight was delayed by almost two hours. Leonel, Marlon and I weren't able to meet them at the John F. Kennedy Airport, they were expecting us to be there but it was impossible for us to be there... we were all coming from work. General told us to meet them at the Perlas Ng Silangan Restaurant in Woodside, Queens where they will be having dinner. So we took the LIRR (Long Island Railroad) to Woodside which only took us about fifteen minutes and the three of us joined Ate Guy along with the producers of the show for a sumptuous dinner prepared by Nell Castelvi the owner of Perlas Ng Silangan. After about half an hour of meeting with the event organizers and more picture taking, we all hopped in the van and took Ate Guy to the hotel.

2006-07-23T08:09:00.000-04:00

THE SUPERSTAR IN LIMBO
Conversations With Ricky Lo
The Philippine Star July 20, 2006

How did I stumble upon Nora Aunor, a.k.a. Ate Guy, the Superstar left in virtual limbo by an incident at the LAX (Los Angeles Airport) last year when she was caught allegedly with shabu and accompanying paraphernalia? She’s supposed to be scarce, isn’t she, "hiding" from (especially) media guys from Manila? Did she simply drop from the sky, like a "scoop" aching to come out, a story nagging to be told?

Yes, she did – "drop from the sky," that is. Figuratively speaking.

I was in L.A. last month for the press junket for Walt Disney Pictures’ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (starring again the winning triumvirate of Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley; which scored the highest opening weekend gross in the US) when I got a text message from Albert Sunga (then vacationing in Manila), president of a Nora Aunor Fans Club in San Francisco, asking if he could get my e-mail and cellphone number for his idol. By all means, I told Albert who said "Good!" when he learned that I was in L.A.

Barely three minutes after I texted my e-mail/cellphone number to Albert, including the landline of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel where the invited journalists were billeted, I got a call from – you guessed it – Ate Guy herself. It was 3 o’clock in the "jet-lagged" morning for me, and Ate Guy and I set a pictorial/interview two days later "somewhere in Burbank," she said, where she’s staying.

We met not at her home but at a restaurant so noisy that we had to do the interview (both for

The STAR and GMA 7’s Showbiz Stripped) outside. Ate Guy was accompanied by a female friend. When I wondered where her manager/bosom buddy Norie Sayo was, Ate Guy said she was in San Francisco and promptly contacted Norie on her cellphone and passed it on to me. (It was Norie who furnished Conversations Ate Guy’s two photos, above and right.)

Did I find Ate Guy "guilty" as charged? Did she look, according to persistent nasty rumors, "impoverished" and "homeless," reduced to asking money from fans and friends out there? Did she sound, well, "depressed"?

Not the type who would judge anybody, I’d rather that you hear Ate Guy’s own story, direct from her.

What is your present status? Were you sentenced by the court?

"’Yung mga lawyers ko, pinasok ako sa program, okay? I want to make it clear that no, there’s no sentence. They just entered me into the program for meetings and counseling, good for one year. After one year, parang walang nangyari."

So you’re not on probation?

"No, I’m not. What’s not nice about my status is that I cannot have a show outside of L.A. I cannot go out of L.A. within the period of one year. But what’s good about it naman is that after the one-year program/counseling, wala nang kaso, as if nothing happened. But then, I can’t just sit idle and not work. My lawyers thought of a compromise by which I can go out of L.A., so the court agreed to change the program."

Did you plead guilty?

"I did under the new program. But it doesn’t mean that just because you plead guilty ay under sentence ka na."

Was it part of a plea bargaining?

"Yes, it is. The ones who made that decision were my lawyers."

What happens under the new program?

"I have a meeting every day, six times a week, and have counseling. The meeting usually lasts about one hour. There’s also a drug test twice a week. I’ve been ‘negative’ since the drug test started; all the tests were negative. The only problem is that I can’t find work because not all producers naman are based in L.A. How can I survive if I don’t work?"

So can you now travel out of L.A.?

"Yes, I can on the condition that the program would be extended to 18 months instead of just one year. It will be over by October next year."

Are you now free to move around California or other parts of the US?

"Yes, I am. But I can’t go home to the Philippines until after the program is completed."

Do you have any scheduled concerts?

"On Aug. 5, I will have a concert in Chicago with John (Rendez, her special friend) and Willie Nepomuceno."

So John is with you.

"Yes, he’s here."

You two are okay naman?

"Oh yes. We help each other. Nagtutulungan pa naman kami. Whatever the tsismis are, we just ignore them."

Like what tsismis?

"Naku, let’s just forget them! Hayaan na lang natin."

Well, I’m glad that you and John are okay.

"Basta, as I’ve said we are helping each other. When nobody is available, he drives. Basta, let’s not mind the tsismis about John. Let’s just hope that he can find a job and get a chance to show and share his talent with the people."

Any other concerts?

"On Sept. 8 in San Diego, Sept. 16 in Washington and Oct. 7 in Boston."

No restrictions (mga bawal) under the new program?

"None, as long as I’m not doing anything wrong, anything against the law."

You’re a holder of an extraordinary-ability visa, aren’t you?

"Yes."

May greencard ka na ba?

"Hmmmm. I’m still thinking about it."

How long have you been in the US?

"Two years."

When you came, was it for vacation, for a concert or for a longer (if not permanent) stay?

"For a concert tour with Kuh (Ledesma), Power of Two. I intended to stay longer because I was confused with what was happening back home. The (2004) elections were just over at ang gulo sa atin noon."

If that airport incident didn’t happen, do you think you’d be in the Philippines now?

"I don’t think so. I think I’d still be in the US."

Were incidents following the elections too painful for you?

"Not really, but then... Let’s not talk about it na lang."

Everybody knows that you campaigned for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. When that airport incident happened, didn’t you ask help from her?

"Actually, nagpahatid ng balita na susuporta sila; they sent word that they’d be helping me. But it never happened. It was only lately that the Philippine Consul here in L.A. had a meeting with me. May naitulong naman; there was a little help. He told me that that help came from Manila."

What sort of support, moral or financial?

"Hmmmm. Financial ng konti. It’s okay, basta’t galing sa kanila. Whatever support it is, as long as it comes from them, it’s okay."

During your two years here, how many concerts have you had?

"A lot. I think more than 20 already. Wait, maybe less than that. With Kuh alone, I did 10."

And you even did a movie, Care Home (which is about caregivers, directed by Suzette Ranillo who also stars in it; together with US-based Filipino actresses Rebecca, Suzette’s mom Gloria Sevilla, Divina Valencia and her son Dranreb).

"Actually, what we agreed upon was not a movie but a teleserye. It was done in digital and I shot for only three days. They told me that it would be shown just once on GMA 7. So when I heard that they made it into a movie, I called their attention. I got worried when I heard that they’d show it in movie houses. You know, kung pang-TV ang usapan, dapat sa TV lang talaga. If it’s for TV, why show it in a movie house?"

What else are you busy with?

"I also did a project for the same group, initially called Bea but they changed it to Ingrata. We have one more taping day to go. I think they plan to show it as a movie."

What is Ingrata about?

"It’s the story of a Filipina, my character, married to a man who gives her nothing but headaches and troubles."

How has your life been in general?

"Well, I’m based here in L.A. In the beginning, it was hard because I don’t have relatives here. I have a sister (Tita Aunor, widow of actor Arnold Mendoza) but she’s in San Diego. It’s difficult, talagang mahirap, but as you go along you learn many things. Actually, I look at what happened to me as a blessing in disguise. I think God is trying to send me a message."

Trying to, you know, wake you up?

"Not only that. You know, sometimes nakakalimot tayo, so kailangang bumalik na tayo sa Kanya."

As an ordinary citizen, do you go around freely – you know, unlike in the Philippines where you can’t go anywhere without feeling that your every move is being monitored?

"When I was new here, somebody saw me take the train. Before I knew it, word spread around na si Nora Aunor nagtri-train na lang. What’s wrong with that? Especially in America where nobody minds anybody. You know, walang pakialaman. I can do here what I cannot do in the Philippines, like going to the grocery, eating anywhere I want to. Kahit anong suot mo, wala silang pakialam."

There are other rumors... That you’re hard up, moving from one friend/fan’s house to another, that you’re asking money from your fans/friends.

"Well, the same old tsismis about me in the Philippines. You can’t stop people from talking, can you? Hindi ko na lang pinapansin. Why would I let myself be bothered by those tsismis? At least here, I drive, I have my own car."

What are your daily activities when you’re not busy with concerts and tapings?

"A lot. There are some projects which I cannot reveal just yet. Kitchie (Benedicto) and I have plans but I can’t discuss them yet. (Kitchie is the producer of John En Shirley, the new ABS-CBN sitcom premiering on Saturday, July 29, starring Dolphy, Susan Roces and Maricel Soriano, directed by Bert de Leon. – RFL)."

Are you in touch with your fans and friends here?

"Yeah. Nakakausap ko sila. We get in touch every now and then. My fans in San Francisco, headed by Albert Sunga, have formed an organization."

What are your plans especially after October next year when the "program" is over?

"I still don’t know. My immediate plan is to save. I have to work, so I can save. I don’t want to go back home empty-handed. I know that because of what happened – and I’m not only referring to the L.A. airport incident – some people have lost their respect on me. You know, ‘yung sa politics..."

How do Filipinos here react to your case/situation?

"Many of them want to help me. I don’t want people to pity me but I appreciate their sympathy."

What do you miss about home?

"I miss my children – si Lotlot, si Ian, si Matet. The other day, I talked to Matet on the phone. She passed the phone to her child and I heard the kid say, ‘Ma Guy! Ma Guy!’ Ang sarap ng pakiramdam; it felt good. I’m happy for Matet. Since she got married (to basketball player Mickey Estrada), ang laki ng ipinagbago niya; she has changed for the better. She used to be pasaway (troublesome), di ba? Matet always sends me text messages. On my birthday last May (21), she greeted me, she wanted to find out how I was doing. She and her family are leaving for Norway."

What about Lotlot (separated from Ramon Christopher by whom she has four children) and Ian (who, with his family, is staying in a house annexed to that of his father, Christopher de Leon, and his family in Parañaque City)?

"We keep in touch."

Do you have any regrets – you know, about going into politics, breaking ties with Erap (President Joseph Estrada) and campaigning for PGMA?

"None. When I did all that, I did so with all my heart; taos sa puso ang ginawa ko. Whatever happened to them and to me, wala akong dapat pagsisihan, I don’t have any reason to regret, because it was I and I alone who made the decision. And whatever had happened to me here in the States, I leave it all to God. Maybe He is testing me again; sinusubukan Niya siguro ako."

You do sound like a changed woman.

"You know, unlike before, everytime I have a concert, like the one I did in San Francisco produced by the Divine Mercy group, I include at least one Gospel song. Like ‘yung Raise Me Up."

What’s the best lesson that you learned from all this?

"Huwag kalilimutan ang nasa Itaas. Don’t forget God."

2006-07-17T19:43:00.000-04:00

SUPERSTARSTRUCK! Superstar Super Scenes Part Two

Here's the second part to my ongoing appreciation of Nora Aunor's thespic abilities. Who can forget Milagros Cruz? A nurse working in the US for hopes of a better future but has an aching desire to continue with her life back home. In Gil Portes' 'Merika (Adrian Films, 1984), the opening scene tells it all. From waking up early in the morning in the dead of winter, Mila goes through her daily routine before going to work. She gets out of bed, shivers a bit and stares at a blank space in her apartment. A perfect beginning to an otherwise affecting little film.

Next is the Manila Zoo childbirth scene in Mario O'Hara's critically acclaimed Bulaklak Sa City Jail (Cherubim Films, 1984). It may be a bit too stagy at times but who would not feel for Angela Aguilar's plight in fighting the right to keep her child? She was repeatedly begging for compassion... that face, those eyes, they truly say a thousand words!

Then there's Ruth, a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage living with her domineering adoptive mother in Maryo J. de los Reyes' underrated film Minsan, May Isang Ina (Regal Films, 1983). After an accidental meeting with her estranged boyfriend (Herbert Corpuz) and discovering his almost perfect married life, Ruth rushes home, deeply affected by it all goes to her room and unleashes all of her pent up emotions leading to a devastating breakdown. The hurt, the palpable anguish, it's all in that face... brilliant... just brilliant!

2006-07-16T18:42:00.000-04:00

SUPERSTAR TURNS 22!

The country's longest running Sunday night variety show celebrated its 22nd year anniversay at the Araneta Coliseum. Joining the triumvate of Nora, Kuya Germas and Jograd were well wishers Gary Valenciano, Celeste Legaspi, Janet Basco, Ivy Violan, Lotlot and Ramon Christopher. The presentation was filled with fantasctic production numbers including a grand Kundiman Medley staged by Tony Espejo as performed by the Superstar and Celeste Legaspi. The evening's highlight was a song number with two of her most popular leading men Tirso Cruz III and Victor Laurel singing the Barbra Sterisand/NeilDiamond duet You Don't Bring Me Flowers. Inspite of endless cancellation rumors due to poor ratings, the show managed to last twenty seven straight years on the air. Variety shows come and go but there will only be one Superstar.

2006-07-09T20:52:00.000-04:00

The SUPERSTAR Live In New York!

The Philippines' One And Only Supertstar Nora Aunor will be headlining Showbiz Festival 2006 on July 29th at the Roone Arledge Auditorium of Columbia University in New York. The event also billed as Ang Himig Natin will also feature Boots Anson Roa, Anthony Castelo, Willie Nepomuceno and Bernardo Bernardo. For tickets you can call 201-993-1365 and 914-433-9344

See you all there!

2006-07-08T08:02:00.000-04:00

The SUPERSTAR's 32nd Birthday Celebration

When Nora Aunor celebrated her 32nd Birthday on her Sunday variety show Superstar, it was one of theose extraordinary episodes. It was the only night when instead of having a barrage of well wishers, the show invited some of the Superstar's closest friends and gave her a roast. First on board was direk Maryto J. de los Reyes, who told stories of how Nora in a whim sends him plane ticket to join her in Hongkong. he also mentioned bits and pieces of Nora's ever changing mind when it comes to buying a house. next up was Inday Badiday who told her personal experience when they were in the US to film A Gift Of Love. There was also Kitchie Benedicto who shared stories of taping her Superstar Show inside the Sampaguita Studios lot in the early '70's, at a time when Nora wasn't allowed to go out of the premises. The Superstar's personal secretary Andy Biag was also at the roast and shared his experiences of working up close and personal with Nora. Last up was Kuya Germs. he talked about the trials and difficulties he underwent with Nora all those years. The triumvate of Tito, Vic and Joey also graced the show along with Pop Diva Kuh Ledesma. Baby K. Jimenez also dropped by to promote her book Ang True Story Ni Guy. All in all it was one unforgettable evening of revelations, untold stories and some kept secrets about Nora's life as a Superstar.

2006-07-04T12:38:00.000-04:00

THE SUPERSTAR IN BACK TO BACK MOVIE MUSICALS

In late 1979, Nora Aunor finally got the rights to make a movie based on the hit song by Hotdog. Annie Batungbakal was the Superstar's first foray into the world of disco dancing. Unlike her arch rival Vilma Santos, Nora was never known for her dancing abilities, she could move alright but not along Vilma's league. Everyone thought it was not the right move, after all her movie will be shown a month after Rock, Baby, Rock! (LEA Productions) which was a box office and critical disappointment. With her head up high, the Superstar braved the negative buzz surrounding Annie Batungbakal and despite a typhoon which flooded the streets of Manila, her fans flocked to the theaters and made the film a box office success. To the dismay of her ardent followers, the movie only had a couple of dance sequences showing Nora's dancing abilities. The following year, the same team who created Annie Batungbakal shot Bonnga Ka Day! for Associated Entertainment Corporation. Contrary to public knowledge, the movie was not a sequel to Annie Batungbakal. It featured a group of college students touring different parts of the Philippines with their own brand of entertainment. Since most of the Superstar's detractors thought that they will never see Nora in a number of dance sequences, everyone was surprised to see an abundance of scenes showcasing the Superstar's inherent dancing talents. With the help and guidance of famed choreographer Geleen Eugenio, Nora Aunor shined in all those scenes. My personal favorite would be Eddie Mukhang Surot, a 50's Rock & Roll dance number. Unlike Annie Batungbakal which was a film rich in character, Bongga Ka Day! was lacking the plot twists and turns that makes a movie interesting. It was just all dancing and singing. Once again, Nora Aunor never fails to re-invent herself. When the entire showbiz world thought she could never dance, she proved them wrong. Her appearance in these two films are proof of her versatility as a performer.

2006-07-03T19:24:00.000-04:00

A Review Of Lino Brocka's BONA
'BONA' GIVES A GLIMPSE OF LIFE IN THE PHILIPPINES

By LAWRENCE VAN GELDER

As Published In The New York Times September 19, 1984

BONA loves Gardo. Gardo loves Gardo. Gardo loves going to bed with almost any woman he can attract. Once - apparently in the absence of anyone better - he even takes Bona to bed, but by the next morning, the matter seems to have slipped his mind.

Bona is a grave-looking woman who drops out of school to pursue her crush on the narcissistic Gardo by moving in with him, more as a servant than anything else. Gardo, in the estimation of Bona's enraged father, is either a second- or third-rate actor in Philippine action movies.

Bona (Nora Aunor) and Gardo (Philip Salvador) are the central figures in ''Bona,'' a film from the Philippines directed by Lino Brocka, whose publicity describes him as a prolific film maker and likens him to Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Prolific he may be, but, while technically unobjectionable, ''Bona,'' which opens today at the Film Forum, fails to shed much light on the wellsprings of Bona's obsessive love for Gardo. A young woman's attraction and devotion to a sleazily handsome actor are understandable, and so at first it not surprising that Bona is willing to fetch water so that Gardo can have warm baths; that she scrubs his floors and mends his clothes and cooks for him in the house they share in a poor neighborhood.

But right from the start, it is also clear that Gardo is not exactly a flawless jewel of humanity: he is beaten up by the relatives of one of his women; he is a drunk; he brings home an assortment of other women; he disappears for extended periods; he leaves it to Bona to arrange an abortion for one of his lovers, and finally - after Bona has been essentially disowned by her family - Gardo informs her that he is selling the house they share and going off with another woman.

About five minutes of Gardo would be enough to make most people explode. But it takes Bona about 90 minutes. And since she seems reasonably intelligent and sensitive and is alert from the outset to Gardo's slights, the writing and direction of ''Bona'' must be faulted for failing to supply dramatically valid explanations for her patience.

''Bona'' is chiefly interesting as an example of Philippine film making and for its glimpses of life in the neighborhood where Bona and Gardo live.

Philippine Glimpses

BONA, directed by Lino Brocka; screenplay (Tagalog with English subtitles) by Cenen Ramones; photographed by Conrado Balthazar; produced by Nora Villamayor. At the Film Forum, 57 Watts Street. Running time: 90 minutes. This film has no rating.

Bona . . . . . Nora Aunor
Gardo . . . . . Philip Salvador
Bona's Father . . . . . Rustica Carpio
Bona's Mother . . . . . Venchito Galvez
Katrina . . . . . Marissa Delgado